Summer Song
by sinandmisery
Summary: AU; Beca's band opens for Chloe's one night, and what starts out as a great friendship turns into more.
1. 18: Prologue

_**Prologue**_

Beca Mitchell is 18 when she starts at SCAD.

She doesn't have much of her choice; her dad's a professor of Art History and he called her up one day during senior year to tell her he'd submitted her portfolio and she would be starting there in the fall. She's not even sure _how_ he got her portfolio to begin with, considering he hadn't bothered to pick up the phone for even so much as a _happy birthday, kiddo _in three years, but there was no point in questioning it. She decides to major in Photography with a minor in Music Composition, because after talking about it with her mom, she knows there not an option to say no.

Late that summer, she packs up from Portland and moves across the country into a dorm with a slightly crazy roommate, Kimmy Jin. Kimmy Jin refuses to speak to Beca; it takes a good two weeks for her even figure out she speaks English and even then she only finds out because she's talking to Beca's dad. She's got some pretty crazy death glares going on and Beca's not one hundred percent sure that she isn't plotting her death, so she tends to spend a lot of time elsewhere.

Beca meets Jesse, a slightly obnoxious yet kind of adorable guy from Washington who is majoring in Film and Sound Design, in one of her first classes. It takes her a little while to warm up to him, but one day she finds out he has a killer record collection that he dragged all the way to Savannah and that's really all it takes to solidify their friendship. Jesse spends a lot of time writing this weird, lo-fi indie music that Beca actually kind of loves, so over fall break, they decide to start a band.

When it comes down to it, playing a synthesizers isn't _that _much different than piano, and Beca is thankful her mom made her take lessons for so long. Still, it is a bit weird to get used to all of the effects on the old board they found on craigslist. It's just the two of them - other than Beca playing the synthesizer, they share vocals and Jesse plays guitar - but they make it work. They call themselves _This New Thing, _because in the two weeks of playing that they can't come up with a name, they just call it "this new thing we're doing" and it eventually sticks.

Beca insists on shortening it to something a bit easier to remember and Jesse is chill about pretty much everything - Beca thinks it's all of the weed he smokes - so he just nods and says _awesome _in this long drawn out way that makes Beca smile. Having an official name makes everything feel different; more like they're actually a band and not just messing around in their dorms. More like they're on their way to doing _something_.

Between assignments and labs, midterms and finals, they write enough songs to start playing in local clubs. Neither one of them have a car on campus, so they're chained to the few spots downtown they can get to by bus, but they're okay with that because it is _something_, which is always better than nothing.

They convince a professor to let them use the screen printing room in Pepe Hall to make shirts and patches, a girl down the hall makes up some pins with her button machine, and they record enough material on the analog 4-track that Jesse's brother gave him to make a demo so they have some stuff to sell at shows. Shortly after all of that comes together, Jesse befriends a guy in one of his classes, Benji, that has a car and offers to drive them to shows or let them borrow it, so they take every chance they get to play various clubs along the coast and elsewhere in the state.

Despite their original plans, neither of them go back home for the summer, and by time sophomore year starts they are kind of a "big deal" on campus. Not that it's all about the recognition or anything, but they both admit that it's kind of awesome to see people walking around wearing _This New Thing_ shirts or with patches and pins on their bags.

Beca is 19 when she meets Chloe Beale.


	2. 19: Part 1

_**19: Part 1**_

Beca Mitchell is 19 when she meets Chloe Beale.

Chloe is the lead singer of an indie band from New York called _The Flyaways_, and _This New Thing_ is opening for them when they play in Atlanta. Beca and Jesse can't possibly be more ecstatic because _The Flyaways_ are pretty much the only thing that has been playing in Jesse's dorm for what feels like months. Their eclectic mix of instrumentation combined with Chloe's powerhouse vocals - the kind that maybe belonged on Broadway, not in a tiny club in Anywhere, USA - had made them both fall instantly in love. And maybe there's something in Chloe's voice that makes Beca a little nervous, like a kid with a crush, but when the promoter, Stacie, calls Jesse to ask if they will be able to fill a spot on the bill, there is _no way_ they're going to say no.

In the two weeks leading up to the show, they practice every day, and Beca silently curses herself for everything that isn't absolutely _perfect_. Jesse, detecting Beca's internal frustration, just looks up from his guitar and smiles his sleepy smile, brown eyes hiding behind his now-shaggy hair, and says, "Just chill, Becs. Everything's going to be good."

Beca sighs through her smile and gets right back at it because Jesse is right. Jesse is _always_ right and Beca needs to get over herself and just _do it_ because they have done gigs a hundred times before. This doesn't have to be any different.

**-xxx-**

The drive to Atlanta takes an hour longer than anticipated, no thanks to some crazy traffic on I-75, and they are both thankful that they decided to come up a day early so they could have some time to explore the city. They quickly drop everything off at the hotel and head straight back out to meet Stacie for lunch so they could check out the venue before load in. Stacie is a great girl - late 20s with jet-black hair, blue-green eyes hiding behind black-framed glasses, and an overtly sexual demeanor that honestly kind of scares Beca - and is one of the main reasons they had played so many gigs outside of Savannah. She had seen them at one of their first shows, back before they were even playing off campus, and found them afterward, introducing herself as a promoter and offering to get them some shows in the Atlanta area. "Some shows" wound up being virtually anything she came across they might fit in with, and they certainly weren't complaining.

After lunch, they go to the venue and he shows them around Little Five Points. Jesse gets lost inside Wax-N-Facts (Beca's not sure how because the place is the size of a shoebox, but she's learned quickly that anything can happen when you get Jesse around vinyl) and eventually comes out with an entire milk crate full of vinyl. Beca has no clue where it's going to fit in his dorm, but she smiles anyway as Jesse rambles on about all of his "great finds." There was only one thing Beca knew of that made Jesse as happy as playing on stage, and that was new vinyl. Sometimes they'd waste hours laying on the floor and listening to all sorts of bands Beca had never heard of, Jesse telling Beca everything he could think of about the band.

"I'm full of interesting facts," he would always say.

After shopping and dinner, they head back to the hotel, making sure to thank Stacie not only for lunch and showing them around, but for getting them the show.

"Of course," she says with a smile. "You know you're my favorite kids."

-xxx-

As Jesse lugs in the new vinyl, Beca holds the elevator door, and it's there that she first sees Chloe. She steps on the elevator as well, shooting Beca a smile and a _Thanks a lot. _All Beca can do is stand there, dumbstruck, as her stomach flips in that awesome-but-not kind of way.

"Are you getting on the damn elevator or what?" Jesse asks, snapping Beca out of her haze.

"Sorry," she says, stepping on and hitting the button for their floor.

"You should have been born blonde," Jesse mutters, shaking his head, and Beca punches his shoulder, causing him to yelp. She doesn't miss the way Chloe has to bite her lip from laughing at them.

"Are you..." Beca looks up at Chloe, and then gestures to the buttons.

"Oh, I'm on seven, too," Chloe says, smiling again.

Beca returns the smile and tries not to stare. She has _never_ been shy about any of the other bands they have met while playing, but there is something about Chloe that has her hands clammy and butterflies taking up residence in her stomach. She chalks it up to nerves about the show; it's the biggest one they have played, and _The Flyaways_ will be a hard band to open for, what with Chloe's killer vocals and all.

The ride to the seventh floor is entirely too short, and Beca holds the door again so Jesse can make his way out without getting smashed and offers an _after you _to Chloe before letting the doors go.

They end up following Chloe down the hall, realizing that by some twist of fate, Chloe's room is right next to theirs. Maybe it isn't so much fate as it is the fact that Stacie had booked the rooms, but either way, it puts Beca's nerves into overdrive. Once they're in their room, she feels like she can breathe again.

"Holy shit," she says, her voice a breathy whisper as she leans against the slightly peeling wallpaper, hand on her chest, trying to relax.

"What?" Jesse asks, flopping on the bed to thumb through his new vinyl collection.

"That was her!" Beca nearly shouts, falling back on the bed next to him. She picks at a loose thread on the typical flowery hotel bedspread, her nerves still making her fidgety.

"_That_ was _who_?" Jesse looks over, confused, and Beca shakes her head.

"_Chloe_," she says, as if Jesse should just magically understand.

"Chloe?"

"Chloe Beale. You know, lead singer of the band we're opening for tomorrow? The one with the killer vocals we've been drooling over for months now?"

"Oh!" Jesse sits up, excited. "No shit? We should go say hi!"

Beca shakes her head, panicked. "No. No. We are _not_ stalking her at the hotel. We'll see her tomorrow." She isn't really sure why she is so nervous, but there is no way they are marching over there and interrupting her in her hotel room just to say hi.

"Why don't we just say hi now?" Jesse says, already up and out the door before Beca can tell her legs to move.

"Jesse, don't," Beca whispers harshly, grabbing Jesse's arm before he can knock.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this, B?"

"Because this is big, Jesse, and I don't want to ruin anything. I promise we'll talk to her. Tomorrow. After we play." Beca stops, hoping this will pacify Jesse, but the girl's face remains unchanged. "Just look at it this way. If we knock on her door now and tell her we're playing the show tomorrow, she might look at us like we're some crazy stalker fans and will have no idea if we're lying or not. We introduce ourselves tomorrow while we're loading in or after our set, she'll know we're not crazy. And maybe... just maybe... she'll have enjoyed the set and we've already got that first good impression instead of looking insane."

After a second, Jesse finally drops his arm, and Beca can breathe a sigh of relief. She can tell Jesse doesn't really buy it, but he stops nonetheless. "Fine. But only because I don't want you being mad at me the rest of the night," Jesse says, stepping back into their room, and Beca rolls her eyes. "Maybe you should smoke with me. You're super tense these past few days."

"I'm just nervous," Beca says as they drop back onto the bed.

While Jesse continues to go through his new records, Beca flips through the channels on the TV and gives up after the fourth time through and she still can't find anything on. She kicks off her shoes and relaxes against the pillows, folding her arms behind her head. Her eyes slip closed as she tries to calm herself down about the show, but Chloe's face pops up instead. Specifically, it's Chloe's smiling face, looking at her from across the elevator. She focuses her thoughts on other things - the show, the project due next week for her English class, anything really - but it all slips back to Chloe's face and she stops trying to fight it.


	3. 19: Part 2

Beca wakes up freezing the next morning, still lying on top of all the blankets. She blinks, eyes adjusting to the dark, and glances at the clock. _5:07_. Jesse is passed out in the other bed, tied up in the sheets and half hanging off the bed with his forehead inches from slamming into the nightstand. She shakes her head at him, wondering how he could possibly be comfortable, and curls into a ball under the blankets to warm up.

The last thing she remembers from the night before is switching off the television and trying to will her thoughts away from those of Chloe, but when memories of her dreams slowly creep in, she realizes those attempts were obviously unsuccessful. She blushes and face plants into the pillows, knowing she is going to have to suck it up before the show if she wants to come off as at least halfway sane.

_All those second-hand highs from Jesse must be going to my head, _she thinks_. She's just another musician. Just like us. Nothing to freak out about._

**-xxx-**

Later that morning, Jesse pounces on Beca's bed, straddling her hips and shaking her to wake her up. "C'monnnnnnnnnn, Becaw! We're gonna miss the free breakfast if you don't get out of bed!"

Despite the rude awakening, Beca smiles at his strange behavior. "You are _so_ weird, Jess. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"What? You know how much I love my waffles!" Jesse cries, continuing to bounce on top of Beca.

"Well then get off me, fat ass," Beca teases, bucking her hips to throw Jesse off balance. The move works a little too well and Jesse tumbles off the bed and onto the floor.

"Ow," he moans, glaring at Beca as he stands up, rubbing his ass. "That hurt, asshole."

"That's what you get for waking me up like that. You know I'm not a morning person."

Beca pulls on her shoes and runs her fingers through her hair, not bothering to change clothes yet. "We gonna go get some waffles or what?"

Jesse's eyes light up and he grabs Beca's hand, charging for the door. "A woman after my own heart!"

"God, you have way too much energy in the morning," Beca says, laughing as she lets Jesse drag her down the hall.

"Maybe if you actually slept instead of having sex dreams, you would too," Jesse shoots back as they stepped in the elevator. Beca is pretty sure her face instantly takes on the color of the bright red carpet on the floor and she wishes she could just disappear. "Who were you thinking about over there anyway? Your new lady-crush Chloe?"

"Shut up," Beca finally manages, but she doesn't deny it. "I don't have a crush on her."

Before Jesse can speak again, the elevator opens up to the breakfast area and he dashes out. Beca breathes a sigh of relief, glad she doesn't have to endure any more of his questioning. She takes her time at the breakfast bar, getting some fresh fruit and cereal, and then snagging a table while Jesse makes his waffles. She;s halfway through an orange when Jesse finally makes it back with two waffles and a bottle of syrup.

"Jesus, I thought those kids would never leave," Jesse complains as he pours half the bottle of syrup on his waffles, making sure to get some in every square.

Beca turns and spots two boys, probably no more than 8 or 9, with plates full of waffles. "Oh, c'mon El, you so could have taken them," she says seriously, taking a bite of her orange.

Jesse laughs and nearly chokes on the food in his mouth. "Shut up, Mitchell, before you kill me. You still need a guitarist if you wanna talk to your lady-crush tonight."

"Whatever. I don't have a crush on her. I just think she's really talented."

"Keep tellin' yourself that, Becs."

Beca sighs.

**-xxx-**

Beca sees Chloe that afternoon during The Flyaways' sound check and tries really, _really_ hard to pay attention to the merch table she is setting up and _not _Chloe, which proves to be a more difficult task than it should be. Luckily, Stacie is the one that keeps her from looking like a total loser and catches her when she trips over the corner of a merch box.

"Everything okay?" Stacie asks, eyebrow arched flirtatiously at the way Beca is pressed up against her.

Beca blushes and pulls away, pushing the offending box fully under the table to avoid further disaster. She sends up a silent prayer that Jesse isn't around to tease her for being so distracted.

"Yeah. I'm good. Just nerves."

"Look, I'll finish this up. Why don't you go get some fresh air? I'll tell Jesse where you are if he comes looking."

"You're the best," Beca says with a smile. "I'll be out back."

"I try."

Beca grabs a bottle of water from the bar and then pushes out the back door, squinting her eyes to adjust to the difference from the dark club. She turns her face toward the sun, basking in the warmth, and takes a deep breath. "Get it together, Mitchell," she mutters, taking a long swig from the bottle as she paces back and forth, scuffing the toe of her dirty Converse against the metal grate below her feet. "You can do this."

Beca continues to stare into the sun, still contemplating everything. She's kissed a girl before. Two, to be exact - one in high school, just to see what it was like, and Jessica, one of her and Jesse's classmates, on a dare when they were all first getting to know each other - but it isn't like she _likes_ girls, so this is all pretty confusing and she doesn't quite know what to do. Jesse walking out of the club and dropping down next to her cuts her moment of introspection short. "B, what's up? Stacie said you needed some fresh air."

"Nothin'," Beca says, sitting down on one of the metal steps, knowing Jesse can see right though her lie but not wanting to talk either way.

Jesse joins her. "Is this about your lady? 'Cause she sounded _killer _in there."

"Jesus! I don't have a crush on her, okay? I don't even like girls!" Beca rants, ignoring the part of her brain that is reminding her that she was just having this very same argument with herself.

"Whoa," Jesse says, placing her hand on Beca's knee. "I'm just teasing you."

"Sorry," Beca sighs. "I'm just nervous."

"Me too," Jesse admits, resting his head on Beca's shoulder and wrapping an arm around her in a half hug. There's a moment of silence before he speaks again. "You know I'd be cool with it, right?"

Beca's forehead wrinkles in confusion. "Cool with what?"

"If you liked girls."

"Of course you would, perv."

"Not like _that_. Well, maybe like that, but I mean, hell, Chloe is pretty hot. I think _I_ might have a little crush on her," Jesse says, and Beca elbows him gently. "What? If you're not calling dibs, I totally want in on that."

"You're so crazy," Beca laughs, ruffling Jesse's hair. She's silent for a while before she nudges Jesse again. "Jesse?"

"Hmm?" Jesse's leaning back against the stairs, eyes closed, completely at ease, and Beca can't help but feel a little bit jealous.

"You bring any with you?" Beca asks, and she knows it's a stupid question because _of course _Jesse's got weed. It isn't like he's a total burnout or anything, but Beca has learned by now that Jesse works best with a slight buzz going.

Jesse pulls away from Beca and smiles wolfishly, pulling a half-smoked joint and a Zippo from the front pocket of his hoodie. He doesn't ask exactly why Beca wants to smoke, just lights up and inhales deeply before passing it, and Beca is thankful for the silence. She takes a long drag and holds the smoke in until her eyes water, reveling in the quasi-familiar burn inside her lungs. They pass it back and forth a few more times, and the bickering over the last hit ends quickly when Jesse presses his lips to Beca's, shotgunning expertly.

"There. Now we both win," Jesse says, stubbing the roach out on the step.

Beca laughs and says, "You know, if you wanted to kiss me again, you could have just said something."

There's a grin on Jesse's face when he says, "Asshole."

"You know you love me."

"Okay, Gossip Girl."

"Seriously?" Beca questions, nearly choking on her laughter.

"Four older sisters," Jesse grouses. "There's a lot of things I don't want to know."

-xxx-

Beca doesn't see Chloe again until after they finish their own set. While Jesse finishes packing up their gear, Beca heads to the merch table to relieve Stacie of her duties, and there she is, studying their demo. Beca whispers a quick thanks to Stacie and she heads off as Beca takes her place behind the table. Before she can introduce herself, Chloe looks up and speaks.

"How much?" she asks, holding up the demo, and Beca's eyes go wide in amazement.

"Oh, uh, take it," she says. There's no way she's letting Chloe pay for their demo.

"You sure?" Chloe asks and Beca nods. "You guys were great up there! I'm Chloe, from The Flyaways," she says holding out her hand.

Beca shakes Chloe's hand and fights the urge to say _Yeah, I know who you are. _Instead, she smiles back and her and says, "Nice to meet you. I'm Beca."

"Didn't I see you last night at the hotel? You held the elevator for me, yeah?"

Beca feels her heart race at the fact that Chloe remembered her. She shakes her head at herself, but her smile grows wider when she says, "Yeah, that was me."

The next band starts up then and it cuts off their conversation, but Chloe stays there, eyeing all the merch. Beca sells a few things, and when everyone clears, Chloe speaks again, louder this time. "So who does all your art?"

"Both of us," Beca tells her, heart still racing a million miles a minute for no good reason. "I did all the patches and the shirt, but Jesse did the cover for the demo."

"Well, damn. Aren't you two just the epitome of DIY?" Chloe smiles. "I wish I had some artistic talent so we could stop paying people so much to do our stuff for us."

"Well if you ever need anything done..." Beca says with a laugh, and she trails off, leaving the offer open ended.

"Tell you what," Chloe says, reaching across the table so they can talk without shouting, "Find me after my set. We'll hang out and discuss some options, okay?"

Beca nods. "Sure."

"Then it's a date," Chloe says, smiling brightly.

"It's a date," Beca agrees, mouthing hanging open slightly as she watches Chloe walk off, not even noticing that Jesse is now standing beside her.

"What's a date?" Jesse asks, nudging Beca, who just elbows him back.

"We're discussing artwork, that's it."

"That's what the kids are calling it these days?" Jesse teases.

"God, you are _such_ a loser, Swanson. Why am I friends with you?" Beca asks with a smirk.

"Because you love me and we make awesome music together. Duh."

"I suppose you have a valid argument. But seriously, nothing's going on. Aside from the whole issue where I'm not gay, Chloe's engaged."

"What? How do you know?"

"Ask the rock on her finger."

"Doesn't mean anything. Probably keeps her from being hit on while she's on tour," Jesse says.

"Whatever," Beca says, but for some reason, there's that lingering hope in the back of her mind that Jesse just may be right.

**-xxx-**

When The Flyaways go on, Jesse sends Beca up close to watch her _lady love_, saying he'll man the merch table. Beca mumbles a _thanks,_ knowing that protesting the crush will just get a _The lady doth protest too much, me thinks, _from him. She stands to the edge of the stage and watches intently, absorbing it all. The way Chloe commands attention is breathtaking, and Beca watches intensely, enraptured by it all.

Toward the end of the set, Chloe takes a break to talk to the crowd. "I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight," Chloe says, and she shoots a smile in Beca's direction that makes her heart leap into her throat.

"It's our first tour across the states and everyone has been so welcoming. I also want to thank our two opening bands. _The Manhattan Six_ are good friends of ours from New York; they're a great bunch of guys and they'll be with us on the whole tour. _This New Thing_ was the first band on tonight, and if any of you missed those two, you seriously missed out on the best set of the night. Do yourself a favor and go pick up their demo; you won't be disappointed."

Beca's jaw drops. Chloe had said she thought they were great, but Beca just assumed it was a courtesy thing, _play nice with the supporting act_ and all that. She wasn't expecting a public endorsement or anything. When Chloe looks her away again, Beca mouths _thank you_ and smiles shyly, which earns a wink from Chloe and Beca tries to ignore the way her heart feels like it's about to pound right out of her chest.

After the encore, Beca bounces back to the merch table, practically floating, and Jesse greets her with a high five. "Damn, baby girl! You must have made an impression on your lady!" he exclaims as he grabs a shirt for the person waiting at the table.

"Shut up!" Beca laughs, smacking Jesse's arm as she slips behind the table with him. "It was both of us."

"Whatever, who's the one that's got a date tonight?"

"Engaged," Beca says as a reminder, rolling her eyes as she turns back to the few people waiting, making a few last minute sales before packing up. It only takes a few minutes to break down the table, and they perch themselves on top of the merch boxes to tally up the sales.

"Looks like you guys made a good impression," Stacie says when she comes over to pay them for the night. "Glad you could make it up."

"Yeah, me too!" Beca says bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.

"Thanks for inviting us up," Jesse offers with a goofy smile.

"Always," Stacie replies, placing a hand on Jesse's thigh that lingers just long enough for Beca to arch an eyebrow in their direction.

"Hey."

Beca spins around to find Chloe standing behind her and swallows hard at how she somehow manages to look even more attractive with flushed cheeks and hair clinging to slightly sweaty skin.

"Hey! Thank you so much for what you said. That really..."

Chloe holds up her hand to stop her. "I only said it because it was true."

"Well. Either way. Thank you," Beca says. "Oh... before I forget... Chloe, this is Jesse, my awesome guitarist who convinced me to play in a band with him."

Chloe smiles and shakes Jesse's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Jesse says, and Beca gives him a _look_ before he can say anything more.

"Hey, uh... the boys wanna go out tonight so I was wondering if I could grab a ride back to the hotel with you guys?" Chloe asks, looking from Beca to Jesse then back to Beca with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah!" Beca says, eyes lighting up in excitement. "You all ready to go?"

Chloe nods back. "Yeah. Let me just tell the boys they don't have to take me back. I'll meet you outside?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Jesse jumps down and offers a high five to Beca. "Damn. You go girl!"

"Shut it, J. Let's just get this stuff out to the car."


	4. 19: Part 3

Chloe and Jesse dominate the conversation for the entire ride back to the hotel, but Beca doesn't mind. She sits crooked in the front seat, leaning against the door, and watching both of them as they animatedly discuss and debate "the wonderfulness of vinyl," as Jesse had so awkwardly put it. Chloe was all for the warmth that vinyl brought to music, but wasn't a fan of its lack of portability. Jesse argued that the lack of portability was part of its charm; that vinyl forced you to actively listen instead of letting music become a backing track.

(Beca had never thought of it like that, but he had a good point.)

The discussion lasts until they hit their hotel room doors, at which point, Jesse begs off.

"Aww, you're not gonna hang out? Party pooper," Chloe teases.

"Nah, someone's gotta get up and drive us home in the morning. Don't you crazy kids stay up too late," Jesse says directly at Beca, throwing her a wink.

"Guess it's just you and me, then," Chloe says, sliding the key card in her door and holding it open for Beca. "You wanna order some take out?"

As if on cue, Beca's stomach growls and they both laugh. "Guess that's a yes."

They browse Yelp on Chloe's phone and finally decide on a local pizza place down the street because it's the only thing open at this hour with a half-decent rating. Chloe kicks off their shoes and takes a seat on the bed, sighing happily as she sinks against the pillows.

"God it feels good to relax," she says, stretching out like a cat. Beca can't seem to force her eyes away from the curves of Chloe's body, so she stays perched on the edge of the bed, posture tense. "C'mon, I promise I won't bite."

Chloe sits up to grab Beca's wrist and Beca nearly jumps at the jolt of energy she feels when Chloe's fingers brush her skin. She gives in, letting Chloe pull her back toward the top of the bed, and she can't deny it does feel good to relax.

They lie in silence together, Beca's brain in overdrive, thinking about the girl next to her. She turns her head, letting her eyes sweep over Chloe's body, and catches sight of the small ladybug tattooed on her wrist. Before she can think to stop herself, she reaches out, running her finger over the small patch of skin. Chloe doesn't jump at the sudden contact, just opens her eyes and smiles at Beca.

"Do you have any more?"

Chloe shakes her head. "You?"

"Several. They're just hiding under the hoodie," Beca says. She realizes she's still touching Chloe and pulls back. "It's so delicate."

"Yeah," Chloe says with a nod. "I wanted something girly but not generic."

"I like it."

Chloe smiles shyly, biting her bottom lip. "So tell me about the art thing. How long have you been doing it?"

**-xxx-**

Their conversation runs the gamut of topics, from family to favorites to random facts. Beca talks about her family back in Portland, specifically her "brother," Luke, who's been her best friend for forever (and thus considered a part of the family); and Chloe talks about New York, her friends and family, and starting the band. It's through this conversation that she finds out that Jesse was right about the ring (sort of). Chloe had been engaged for two years, but recently broke it off - "For a lot of reasons," she said, but didn't elaborate - and she decided to keep wearing the ring on tour because it really did eliminate a lot of the lame pick up lines.

As they laugh and joke, Beca finds it hard to believe they've known each other mere hours. She typically takes awhile to warm up to people, and even then, they hardly get to see this side of her. (And she'd never admit it to Jesse, of course, but she has a _total_ crush on Chloe.) They're laying there in silence, rolled on their sides and propped up on their elbows, posing a mirror image. She feels strangely exposed, lying here next to Chloe, spilling details of her personal life, and that would normally have her running away screaming, yet there's no place she would rather be. There's something in Chloe's bright blue eyes that pierces her through; makes her feel comfortable despite the fact that they barely know one another.

Chloe stands from the bed and stretches, finally moving the long empty pizza box from between them.

"Ugh, I am still so stuffed," she says, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge. "You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," Beca says and as Chloe falls back down on the bed next to her, Beca catches a glimpse of the clock. "Fuck!"

"What's wrong?" Chloe asks, panicked. She looks over at Beca, who is checking her phone in case the alarm clock on the nightstand is wrong. It isn't.

"It's 4:30 in the morning! Jesse is gonna kill me for waking him up when I go over there."

"So don't," Chloe says, and Beca looks at her quizzically. "Just stay here. The bed's big enough for two. I'll give you something to sleep in so you don't have to sleep in those jeans. Jesse knows where you are if he gets up first in the morning."

Beca's heart rate spikes at the thought of spending the night in Chloe's bed and she swallows past the lump in her throat, her mouth suddenly dry. "I can't," she tells the other girl "I... I don't wanna impose."

"Don't be silly," Chloe says, smiling at her her, and before Beca can come up with another excuse to say no, Chloe's up and rummaging through her suitcase for something that Beca can wear. She finds a shirt that's slightly long on her and a pair of yoga pants and tosses them Beca's way. "Here."

Beca rises from the bed, taking the clothes with her as she heads into the bathroom. Her hands shake as she unbuttons her jeans, sliding them down her slender legs before stepping into the soft cotton pants that she assumes are probably meant to be pants on a normal sized human, but nearly reach the ground for her. She unbuttons her vest and tugs her shirt over her head, dropping it into the same pile with her jeans. The dark grey shirt she slides on is so soft and worn, Beca feels like she's wearing nothing. She checks it out in the mirror and finds it's an old Flyaways shirt; seemingly the first shirt they ever made, considering how worn it was.

Beca splashes her face with cool water in an attempt to minimize the blush on her cheeks and folds her clothes into a neat pile. She takes one more look in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom, her emotions clearly displayed on her face. "Get it together, Beca," she whispers under her breath, trying to get her nerves under control. She grips the edge of the counter and closes her eyes, counting to ten and taking a few deep breaths before shutting off the light and stepping out of the tiny room.

Chloe is already changed, wearing a very similar outfit, when Beca emerges. "Hey. Ready to try that sleep thing?" she asks, turning and smiling at Beca.

Beca nods and places her clothes on top of her shoes, which are still discarded by the foot of the bed. When she stands back up, Chloe is _rightthere_ and Beca jumps slightly from the unexpected proximity. What happens next is sort of a blur, because all she knows is her lips are on Chloe's (she's not even sure who kissed who first), hands tangled in thick curls.

There's no time to process anything except for her knees hitting the back of the bed because Chloe's on top of her in an instant, kissingsuckingbiting at every inch of skin she can find, and their hands are everywhere as clothes get shucked to the side of the bed. Chloe's hips settle between Beca's own, pressing against her, and all Beca can think to do is arch her back and grind harder against her, her hands searching with more purpose until she's palming Chloe's breast, loving the way her nipples harden in her hand and the way Chloe squirms and moans when she tweaks a nipple.

When Beca thinks the feelings coursing through her body can't get more intense, Chloe proves her wrong with fingers slipping through warm folds, sliding over her clit, and she doesn't even try to the guttural moan that escapes her lips.

Chloe's lips attach to her breasts as she sucks and bites, and Beca's hand tangles in her hair, not wanting her to move. "Chloe, please, I..." she begs, unable to form actual words, but the other girl seemingly reads her mind and slips two fingers inside, thrusting deep and hard, and Beca feels like she's being pulled apart and put back together with every thrust. Her eyes slip closed as Chloe kisses her again, open mouthed and hungry, their tongues dueling and teeth clicking together. Chloe adds a third finger and Beca grabs at the sheets, twisting them in her fists. She's _soclose_ yet so far and she feels like she might combust if Chloe doesn't make her come soon.

It's not long after that when Chloe's thumb presses against her clit, circling intently, and she's gone, her moans and a long drawn out _fuckkkkkkkkk_ swallowed by Chloe's eager mouth. She grasps at Chloe's shoulders frenetically as she rides out the waves of her orgasm, unaware she could feel so much and so good during sex.

They break away from each other's mouths and Beca sucks in huge gulps of air as Chloe slips from inside her. She tilts Chloe's chin up to look at her, the want and need obvious even in the dim light of the hotel room.

"Beca," Chloe whispers, her voice a low breathy moan that jerks Beca into action. She finds the strength to flip them and latches her mouth to Chloe's skin, leaving tiny red marks on the sensitive skin of her neck and clavicle. Her hand slips between them, caressing pert breasts before dipping lower, and a brush of her thumb across Chloe's hipbone is all it takes to get her writhing beneath her. "Don't tease," she pleads, hot breath against Beca's ear.

Not wanting to disappoint, Beca presses against Chloe's clit, smirking against the slick skin of her neck when her hips buck into Beca's. She circles the over-sensitive bundle of nerves slowly, teasing until Chloe can take no more.

"Inside," she growls.

"Aggressive," Beca teases, biting down lightly on Chloe's shoulder as she thrusts inside, her breath hitching as her fingers are coated in Chloe's arousal. She moves her mouth to Chloe's breasts, swirling her tongue around a hardened peak before sucking it into her mouth. Chloe arches against her and she smiles before kissing a trail to the other breast.

"Oh God... B..." Chloe pants, pulling her up into a kiss. Beca twists her wrist, entering at a different angle, and Chloe's walls contract around her, moaning deep in her throat. She doesn't stop her movements until the last waves of Chloe's orgasms pass, wanting to draw out the moment as long as possible.

When she slips her fingers out, she collapses half on top of Chloe, face pressed into her neck, their sweat-slick skin sticking as their limbs tangle together. Beca presses gentle kisses to Chloe's neck, smiling as she feels the racing pulse beneath her lips. Chloe drapes the white sheet over them and they drift off without another word.

**-xxx-**

Beca wakes the next morning feeling lighter than she ever remembers feeling, a smile turning up the corners of her lips. Her muscles are sore in that pleasantly overworked way, and she opens her eyes slowly as she starts to stretch. When she finds her arm pinned, she turns her head, seeing red hair splayed out on her shoulders. Memories of the night before flood her brain and flip her panic switch.

Praying to god and anyone that will listen that Chloe won't wake up, she slips from the bed and throws on the shirt Chloe had given her the night before. She stumbles as she pulls on her jeans, but manages to get them up without too much of a fuss. As she steps into her shoes, she grabs her phone and does a once over, making she sure she doesn't forget anything. Sufficiently assured, she slips out the door, shutting it behind her silently.

Beca reaches in her back pocket, thankful she has a room key, and slips into her own room just as she feels the tears start to well up. "Jesse, c'mon," she hisses, nudging the boy that is sprawled out ridiculously on the bed.

"Huh? Wha... Beca!"

"We have to go! C'mon," Beca urges, tugging him up into a sitting position before gathering their thankfully already packed bags.

"Mmmm... waffles first."

"Jess..."

"You can't turn down free waffles," Jesse says, smiling. His smile turns into a smirk when he notices that it's morning and Beca just showed up. "Look at you and the walk of sha..." Jesse drops off when Beca turns to glare at her and she realizes there are tears streaking her face.

"I'll buy you some fucking waffles. Just get your ass to the car."

Jesse stands from the bed and pulls his shoes on, tossing his messenger bag over his shoulder. "Idiot check?"

"We've got it all. I checked before we left for the show."

They walk down to the elevator in silence, Beca trying furiously to wipe away the tears before anyone can see.

"What happened last night?" Jesse asks quietly as they wait for the car to reach their floor.

"I don't want to talk about it," Beca says, turning away, and Jesse has the good grace not to push it.


	5. 19: Part 4

The ride home is tense, silent except for Jesse's iPod playing over the stereo, and Beca spends it staring out the window, her night with Chloe on a loop in her head. Even when they stop for the waffles she promised Jesse, all she does is stare at her coffee cup and push her fruit around the plate. She checks her phone what feels like once a minute, unsure if she wants Chloe to reach out or not. They're an hour outside of Savannah when the word vomit starts.

"I slept with Chloe last night," Beca says, as if Jesse hasn't probably already figured that out. As if her neck weren't covered in a barrage of hickeys that definitely weren't there when Jesse went to bed. But still, Jesse says nothing. "We got pizza and we were talking and we _did _talk about the artwork but it just went from there. We talked about everything and nothing and then before I realized it, it was 4:30 and I thought you were going to freak out if I woke you up, so Chloe told me to stay. And I tried to fight it, I did, but she was there looking at me with those eyes and it was like I couldn't say no. So I changed into the clothes she gave me and then it just... happened. I don't know how. One minute we were standing there and the next we were naked and..."

"Hey," Jesse whispers, placing a hand on Beca's arm and effectively stopping her rant. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

So they didn't.

**-xxx-**

Beca spends the next 2 weeks as busy as she can possibly be. She writes new material for _This New Thing_, alphabetizes Jesse's vinyl, reorganizes the apartment they moved into during the beginning of the year, and gets as far ahead on school work as she can. She doesn't think about Chloe at all, except for those rare moments when she's still. When she's falling asleep, when she first wakes up, when she stops for lunch... the only thing she can think of is Chloe.

She doesn't talk to Jesse about what happened that night, which she kind of feels bad about because he wants to know so bad that she can practically see it dancing on the tip of his tongue. Chloe doesn't call or text, and that suits Beca just fine because she's not entirely sure what she'd say anyway. She doesn't mind it, except that it cuts her deeper than she even wants to think about.

On the sixteenth day, during one of those slow times - when she's sitting Indian style on the floor of her and Jesse's practice space, pen tapping rhythmically against the notebook in her lap as she waits on Jesse to show up - Beca's phone rings. She doesn't recognize the number, but she knows 212 is a New York area code and her heart leaps into her throat. She toys with the idea of not answering until it's almost too late, but she finally hits the little green button. "Hello?"

It's silent for a moment, and Beca starts to internally berate herself for getting so worked up over a call that is obviously a wrong number and _not _Chloe. But then it happens. "Hey. It's me... uh... Chloe."

"H... hi," Beca says, swallowing hard past the lump in her throat.

There's an awkward silence before Chloe continues, "Listen, I know that... What I mean is..." Chloe sighs deeply. "Is that artwork offer still on the table?"

Beca hesitates for a moment, debating if it would be a good idea, before she answers. "Yeah. Yeah it is," she says, as if there was any chance at all that she would have said no.

"Good."

The door to the practice space opens and she looks up to smile at Jesse, only the person standing just inside the door frame isn't Jesse, it's Chloe. Beca drops her phone, staring slackjawed at the other woman. She feels her chest clench tightly and the butterflies start up again. "What are..."

"Jesse told me you'd be here."

"Oh."

An uncomfortable silence settles in around them, constricting around Beca in the most awful ways, and they both stay rooted to their spots. Beca wants to get up and go to Chloe. She wants to touch Chloe's silky smooth skin and make sure she's real. She wants to... she pushes that thought out of her head, because it doesn't matter, anyway. She settles for watching Chloe, studying her as the other girl's eyes flick about the room, taking it in.

"I like this place," Chloe says, breaking the silence. "It's..."

"Inspiring?"

"Inspiring," Chloe finishes at the same time, and they share a small smile that makes Beca's heart rate go wild.

"That's what I told Jesse the first time we walked in. It's just got that vibe."

Chloe nods in agreement. "So - uh - you wanna discuss this here? Or maybe grab a cup of coffee or something?"

"There's a cafe down the street that you might like. It's where _This New Thing_ got their start," Beca says. It's not really a straight answer, but Chloe's face lights up even more at the mention, so Beca know what the choice will be.

"Then I'd love to check it out," Chloe responds, offering her hand to Beca to help her up.

Beca shoves her notebook in her messenger bag and slings it over her shoulder before she takes Chloe's hand, standing and stretching. It isn't until they're out of the practice space and onto the street before she realizes she hasn't let go of Chloe's hand and immediately drops it.

The walk to Sentient Bean is silent, Beca half a step ahead, leading the way. She wants to ask what Chloe's doing there in Savannah (because really, they both know the whole artwork thing could have been worked out long distance because of great technological advances called computers), but she's more than a little afraid of the answer she'll get, so she stays quiet. When they reach the cafe, Beca holds the door for Chloe, smiling at the way the other girl's eyes sparkle when she says _thank you_, and then mentally chastising herself for it. That is _not_ where her mind needs to be right now.

"Hey! It's my favorite rock star!"

Beca looks over to see Cynthia Rose sitting at the counter, smiling brightly. "Hey Cyn," Beca replies with a wave. "Where's your section?"

"Go 'head and take your favorite, lady," Cynthia Rose says, touching Beca's arm lightly. "I'll swap a table with Tommy."

"You're the best!" Beca says, before turning and leading Chloe to a table by the window.

"Well... she seems... _nice_," Chloe says as she takes a seat, looking over the menu.

"Cynthia rose? Yeah she's awesome. Jesse and I are in here pretty much _all _the time since it's so close to the space. She got us our first show; I'll introduce you when she comes over."

Chloe just nods, continuing to look at the menu. "So what do you recommend?"

Beca leans in a little closer over the table, looking over the top of Chloe's menu. "Everything I've ever tried here is good. Panini's are killer," she says, pointing to the list. "And I love their Italian sodas."

Chloe nods and puts her menu down just as Cynthia Rose walks over. "Decide what you want? Well... I know this one has," she says gesturing at Beca. "The usual?"

"You know it," Beca replies, not missing Chloe's questioning glance.

"And for you?"

"I'll have the Greek Isles Panini and an orange Italian soda, please," Chloe says.

"I'll get these right in."

"By the way," Beca says, getting Cynthia Rose's attention before she walks away. "This is my, uh, my friend Chloe," Beca says, looking to Chloe for approval on the word _friend _and getting a small nod of encouragement. "She's the lead singer of the band we went up to Atlanta to open for."

"Oh!" Cynthia Rosa shakes Chloe's hand and smiles. "It's so great to meet you finally. Jesse an Beca yammered on about you for days after they got that gig."

Beca blushes, ducking her head, but she doesn't miss the grin on Chloe's face. "Nice to meet you, too."

Once Cynthia Rose walks away, Beca looks up shyly. "So now that I've been adequately embarrassed..."

"You two wouldn't shut up about me, huh?" Chloe teases.

Thankful for the significantly lightened mood, even if it was due to her own embarrassment, Beca nods. "Not to go all fangirl or anything, but you've heard your voice, right?"

Chloe laughs. "Stop. Changing the subject... what's 'the usual'?"

"Barbecue tofu wrap; it's killer. I was attempting to try everything on the menu, but about half way through I tried that and haven't gone back."

"Hmmm... must be _really _good then."

"You won't be disappointed with yours either," Beca assures her.

They idly chat while waiting on their food, the awkward tension mostly gone, but still very obvious - to Beca at least - that there is something hanging between them being ignored. Chloe is telling Beca about the rest of tour, giving out suggestions on clubs to completely avoid if at all possible, when their food arrives.

"You guys should come with us next time," Chloe offers.

"Yeah, I'd love to. We'd love to," Beca corrects, watching as Chloe opens her sandwich and pulls off the olives. "What are you doing?"

"Don't like olives," Chloe says with a shrug.

"You could have ordered it without."

"I know. Just easier this way."

"Whatever you say," Beca laughs, reaching across the table and spearing a few olives with her fork. As she puts them in her mouth, the weirdness of the action, of stealing food off Chloe's plate without even asking, dawns on her, and she smiles apologetically at Chloe as she chews. "Sorry," she says after swallowing. "Best part."

"No big," Chloe remarks, reaching across and stealing a stray piece of barbecue tofu from Beca's plate. "Now we're even. And wow... that is good."

"Told you."

As they finish up their lunch, Beca's phone buzzes with a text from Jesse.

_did you guys make up yet?_

Beca smiles and writes back, wanting to kill him and hug him at the same time.

_we weren't arguing. so we didn't need to make up. you totally owe me for bailing on practice & conspiring against me though_

_you were miserable. don't tell me you weren't... you were doin that "beca on speed" thing you always do when your upset_

_whatever. jerk._

_love you too, beca. now go kiss & make up with your lady love_

Beca finally puts her phone away and apologizes to Chloe. "Sorry, that was Jesse. Wanted to see if we made up."

"Were we arguing?" Chloe asks with a smile.

"That's what I said!"

"So do you want to work on this art thing here?"

"Sure," Beca says, pulling a sketchpad and pencil from her messenger bag.

Chloe laughs. "You're just prepared for everything, aren't you? What else do you have hiding in there?"

"Oh nothing," Beca says, pretending to rifle through it all. "Just prepared in event of the zombie apocalypse."

Chloe's eyebrows knit together as she stares at Beca with - what Beca assumes is - an a_re you serious?! _expression. "Are you going to sketch them to death?"

"Hey, I might be locked up in the mall a _long_ time. I'll need something to do besides stock up at the army surplus store."

"Oh my God," Chloe says, shaking her head. "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

"My best friend back home, Luke, is obsessed with zombies," Beca explains. "Over the summer before I moved here, we tried to spend as much time together as possible, and since I was the one leaving, I usually got suckered into doing the things that he likes. So we read _The Zombie Survival Guide _and _World War Z _and he forced me into this huge zombie movie marathon the whole week leading up to me leaving, so it's kind of a running joke between us."

Chloe chuckles. "That's so sweet. You guys sound really close."

"We are. He's like my brother," Beca says, flipping her sketchbook open to the first blank page. "So what are you looking for?"

"We need new shirts," Chloe explains. "We've been printing the same one for two years now, and I think it's time for something new."

"Okay," Beca starts sketching as Chloe talks, discussing themes and emotions behind _The Flyaways'_ music. By time she finishes talking, Beca has three pages of ideas sketched out. She hands the book over to Chloe for input, and her jaw drops.

"How do you _do_ that?" Chloe asks, astounded as she flips slowly through the few pages. "It's like you just sketched out my words into pictures. Which do everything way more justice than my words. I can't even... you're amazing, Beca."

Beca blushes and looks away. She's usually better at taking compliments, but from Chloe, it's like they're something different. Like she actually _means_ it instead of just placating her.

Chloe reaches out, brushings her fingers under Beca's chin so their eyes meet. "Don't be shy about it. You're amazingly talented, and I'm insanely jealous."

"Thank you," Beca says, smiling as she tries to ignore the fact that her skin is still tingling from where Chloe touched her.

"So... what's going on around here tonight?" Chloe asks, lightening the mood. "I think I need the full Savannah college experience."


	6. 19: Part 5

**(Experimenting with telling a little bit of this from Chloe's POV. Let me know your thoughts as I may do this in future chapters if it's well received.)**

Chloe isn't sure what she is expecting here in Savannah; what she's expecting with Beca. What she does know is that after the night in Atlanta, she spent the better part of a week staring at Beca's number in her phone and writing several unsent text messages before resorting to some internet stalking and finding out how to contact Jesse instead. It took her three days after finding his Facebook for her to actually contact him, and by the end of her show the night, she was booking a ticket to Savannah for the day their tour ended.

(She books her return flight for a week later, but made sure she had the option to change it, just in case.)

**-xxx-**

After lunch, Chloe is realizing that it's already going better than she had hoped. Beca didn't yell or tell Chloe to go home or any of the other not so great things Chloe had been prepared for when she showed up at the rehearsal space. Lunch was slightly awkward, but a tolerable level of awkward that's to be expected when you hand out with someone new. It's a little disheartening, Chloe thinks, because she thought they'd shared some sort of connection that first night, easily opening up to each other, but she won't push it.

Beca gives her a tour of SCAD and they end up at a student art exhibit before meeting then meeting Jesse at a local pub. Chloe spends most of the time listening to the two of them banter like brother and sister and swirling her straw around in her glass, staring at Beca surreptitiously when she isn't paying attention. She's apparently not too sneaky, though, because Jesse catches her and winks, causing her to excuse herself to the restroom before either one of them can see the blush creeping up on her cheeks.

**-xxx-**

They make it back to Beca and Jesse's apartment well past midnight and Jesse heads straight for his bedroom. It feels strangely like their night in Atlanta, except now Beca seems even more uncertain and Chloe doesn't know how to make it better. She doesn't know much of anything really - not about Beca - but she wants to.

"Uh, my bedroom's over here," Beca says, nodding down the hall. "You can take the bed."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Chloe asks.

"Couch, I guess," Beca replies with a shrug as she opens her bedroom door.

There's this fleeting idea of offering to share, but then there's a flash of bare, sweat-slicked skin, and she knows that it's just a disaster waiting to happen. She watches, unmoving, as Beca gathers her pajamas and tosses some dirty clothes into in the hamper. Chloe pretends not to notice that the shirt on top is hers and her eyes follow Beca out the door without a word.

To Chloe's surprise, Beca returns a few moments later; she had assumed the other girl would have headed for the couch already. She watches again as Beca moves through the room, collecting a blanket and two pillows, and it's the sound of Beca's hand on the doorknob that jolts Chloe into action.

"Stay here," she blurts out, and Beca turns to look at her for the first time since they entered the room. "Not... you don't -" Chloe gestures at the bed as if to get her thoughts across. "I'll take the floor."

Beca shakes her head. "Take the bed," she insists, but then she spreads her blanket and pillows out on the floor next to the bed and Chloe figures it's a start.

**-xxx-**

It's nearly three-thirty in the morning and Chloe has yet to fall asleep. Beca's still awake on the floor; Chloe can hear her sighs every so often and the drum of her fingers against the carpet. There's no faint hint of music so Chloe assumes she's just drumming out the rhythm in her head. It changes up every so often and Chloe finds herself making harmonies to go along with it in her head.

Beca stops suddenly and Chloe shifts, looking over the edge of bed at the other girl.

"Hey," Beca whispers.

"Can't sleep?"

"Nope."

They lie in silence, just looking at each other in and Chloe smiles at the way Beca's eyes still manage to look bright and beautiful, even with the lack of light. Her arm is draped over the edge of the bed, drawing patterns on Beca's blanket, and when her fingers almost brush Beca's, she pauses. She hears Beca's breath hitch in her throat, but she doesn't shy away, she just looks at their and hands then back up at Chloe.

"Do you..." she starts, but Chloe shakes her head, cutting her off.

"When you're ready," she says, sensing Beca's not quite _there_ yet.

There's a long pause and then Beca twitches her fingers, brushing her knuckles against Chloe's. "I'm glad you came."

**-xxx-**

In the morning, Beca's gone. Chloe sighs, dropping her head back to the pillow, mad at herself for thinking they were actually getting somewhere last night. The clinking of pots and pans in the kitchen pulls her out of her thoughts and when Beca's voice follows, she laughs at herself for instantly thinking the worse. It's not like she has much to go on, really.

Chloe pulls her jeans on and makes her way down the hall and into the kitchen, dropping into one of the chairs as she listens to Beca continue her song. She joins in at the chorus, startling Beca.

"Jesus you scared me," Beca says, clutching the counter to stabilize herself. "How long were you there?"

"Just a few seconds," Chloe says, laughing. "That's my favorite one."

"You actually listened to it?"

Chloe laughs, a deep, full-bellied laugh that makes Beca stare at her like she's crazy. "Are you serious? Of _course_ I listened to it, Beca. I wasn't just asking about the album to be nice."

"I..."

"I asked how much, Beca. I wanted to buy it. Of course I listened to it."

"Oh," is all Beca says, going back into the kitchen to finish the breakfast she started before Chloe woke up.

Chloe takes this as her in to start getting things back to normal - whatever _normal_ is for them. This is her chance to get rid of the elephant in the room, or at least pretend it's a nice art piece until Beca's ready to talk about it.

"Track 1," she says and Beca stops what she's doing. She turns off the stove and splits the eggs between two plates, next to the rapidly cooling toast, and leans against the counter. Chloe wants to comment on how domestic she looks - spatula still in one hand with her arms crossed over her pajamas -but she continues with her plan, Beca just watching her quietly.

"_Patience of the Mind_. Your vocals are brilliant. That thing you do with the vocoder in the bridge is genius. Track 2. _Broken Weekend_; such a great song to dance around the house to. Or your hotel room. I'd listen to it before our sets to get hyped up be-" Chloe trails off, avoiding the end of her sentence; they both already know.

"Track 3. The one you were just singing. _Chasing Grace_. It's absolutely beautiful; that mellow reverb on Jesse's guitar and the light sound of your keys reminds me of summers on the lake. I've probably listened to that one the most because your voice is just insane. So gorgeous and I'd kill to hear it acoustic. Which one of you wrote it?"

"Me," Beca answers quietly.

"Track 4. _Dangerous Doubts. _Probably the most surprising. A little more rock in it; really gives Jesse a chance to shine vocally but you come in and steal his thunder in the chorus. I love that distorted, buzzy thing you do with your keys when he goes into the solo. And track 5. _Can't Teach You Everything_. I love this one because it's so upbeat but when you really listen to the lyrics, it's super melancholy. I know it's only three instruments, but it feels so big... like some new form of lo-fi stadium rock. So yes. To answer your question, I have listened to that EP. More than once."

"Wow. I'm impressed. I... wasn't expecting that. Thank you," Beca stutters out, clearly uncomfortable taking compliments, especially ones that aren't generic.

Chloe smiles brightly. "It's the truth," she admits. "And now that we're even on embarrassing admissions of admiration for each other's talent, I think it's time for breakfast."

"It's probably gone cold," Beca says, looking over at the plates with a frown.

"Then I'll buy you breakfast," Chloe tells her, and when Beca smiles and nods, she thinks everything just might be okay.

**-xxx-**

They get breakfast Beca continues to show Chloe around town, taking her to all the places This New Thing has played, all the places she and Jesse hang out, and even a few of the studios she takes class in. Chloe is genuinely interested in it all, constantly inquiring about things to do and places to see.

"I want to see where you live," she explains to Beca, and the smile on Beca's face is so contagious, all Chloe can do is smile right back.

**-xxx-**

After the second day, things seem on track, like they've moved past the tension, or at least skillfully avoided it for the time being. Beca is a little more open; Chloe assumes it's because she knows she's not going to be pressured into talking about things. Chloe herself holds back, keeps her hands jammed deep into her pockets when she wants to hold Beca's hand or touch her shoulder and bites her lip when she wants to make a comment she thinks might make Beca pull back.

Other than that, it's good.

**-xxx-**

Despite Chloe's protests, Beca skips most of her classes for the handful of days Chloe is in town. Friday, though, she has a project to turn in, so they grab breakfast and Chloe walks her to class with promises to meet her back there in an hour.

Chloe makes her way back to the apartment, packing a blanket and a couple bottles of water in her bookbag and then grabs Beca's camera bag before heading back out. She takes her time walking back to campus but still shows up before Beca is finished and by time she exits her class, Chloe is nearly bouncing with excitement. "Come on, I want to take you somewhere."

"Okay okay," Beca laughs and allows Chloe to take her hand and drag her to a waiting cab. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Chloe says with a smile, leaning in to rest her head on Beca's shoulder. She's breaking her self-imposed touching rule, but when Beca doesn't pull away or tense up, she figures it's okay. "We'll be there soon."


	7. 19: Part 6

Thirty minutes later, a cab drops them off on Tybee Island, just across the street from the beach.

"Surprise," Chloe whispers, smiling at Beca. "You had mentioned several times about how you still hadn't been to the beach, so..."

"You're amazing." Beca smiles and makes the decision to actually let her guard down for the first time since Chloe arrived. She wraps her arms around the taller girl and pulls her close, her face buried in the crook of Chloe's neck. Red hair tickles the tip of her nose and she inhales deeply - a hint of lavender perfume and Beca's own shampoo, which causes a familiar twisting in her gut - and she is completely intoxicated.

Chloe pulls back, pressing a kiss to Beca's cheek. "Here," she says, handing her the messenger bag off her shoulder. "I went back and got your camera."

"Chloe..." Beca smiles impossibly wider and shakes her head slightly in disbelief, blown away by how well Chloe just seems to just _know _her in such a short time.

**-xxx-**

Their walk along the beach is mostly in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. It's a bit windy, so when Beca isn't busy taking pictures, she's drawn into Chloe's side, Chloe's arm around her waist to keep her warm. When they stop for a moment at a bench on the pier, Beca goes click happy, taking what could easily be considered an obsessive amount of pictures of Chloe. Normally she would care that she's coming across like a crazy person, but right now the lighting is an indescribable kind of astounding and the way it plays across Chloe's skin and hair makes it look like she's actually _glowing_.

After one shot - Chloe's head tilted back ever so slightly as she faces the sun, copper tresses blowing across her face - Beca stops to review the pictures, hoping she camera managed to accurately reproduce what she was seeing through the lens. She audibly gasps at the last shot; the framing, the lighting, the wind - it's all come together for one of those one-in-a-million pictures that many photographers would die to take. She knows she's good - she got into SCAD on her high school portfolio - but she's rarely blown away by her own work like this.

"What?" Chloe asks, when she realizes Beca is still just gaping at the screen. She turns and cranes her neck, trying to catch a glimpse.

"Nothing," Beca says, a blush hinting at her cheeks as she moves to slide the camera in her bag.

"Something." Chloe presses into Beca's side, fingers grazing her hip. "Can I see?"

Beca, knowing it's a useless fight, scrolls back to the shot and hands over her camera. "You're... actually amazing, Chlo," she admits

Chloe smiles, admiring the shot. "I think it has a lot to do with the photographer. Does this thing have a timer?" Chloe asks and Beca nods. "I want one of us together."

"Go stand over there," Beca says, pointing further down the pier. "I want to make sure we're both in the shot." She places the camera on a flat spot on the railing, focuses on where Chloe is standing, and sets the timer.

"Here," Chloe says, holding her arms out as Beca approaches, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Beca hears the faint sound of the shutter and reluctantly steps out of the embrace. "One more," she says, going to set the timer again. She quickly resumes her place in front of Chloe and turns to look at her, Chloe dipping her head down just as she tilts her own chin upward. Their lips are a fraction of an inch from each other when Beca turns slightly, Chloe's lips pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as the camera goes off.

Beca can feel her heart thudding in her chest as she curses herself for almost kissing Chloe again, but she doesn't move right away except to turn in Chloe's arms. They stay locked in the intimate embrace, Beca's eyes closed and her head resting against Chloe's shoulder as she tries to regroup.

"Bec," Chloe whispers, but Beca is already moving away to grab the camera.

She's not entirely sure what came over her, but she knows that being so close to Chloe does things to her that she just can't explain. Things she doesn't _want_ to explain.

"Beca," Chloe tries again, reaching out to touch her arm as she sits down on the bench. "Can I..."

"I'd rather not," Beca says, trying to keep her voice neutral, but knowing that she's failing miserably. She can feel the tears stinging behind her eyes and she turns away before they can fall.

Chloe sits down just behind her and places a hand on her lower back, chin resting on her shoulder. "I was just going to ask if I could take you to dinner."

Beca breathes in deeply, allowing her tears to subside as she pushes all of the thoughts clouding her head away. "Yeah," she says, a genuine smile on her face as she turns and looks at Chloe. "I'd like that."

**-xxx-**

It's late when they finally get back from the beach, but Chloe and Beca are both on some sort of euphoric high, so they stay up talking and listening to Jesse's records. Beca sits on her bed, legs draped over Chloe's, watching her as she uploads their pictures to Facebook. It's a sort of quiet Beca's not used to - something she only experiences with Chloe - and it's equal parts unnerving and calming. Beca studies her expressions, focusing on the way Chloe worries her bottom lip between her teeth, eyebrows knit in concentration, and she twists away to grab her camera off the nightstand.

"What?" Chloe asks, looking up after Beca's taken a few pictures.

"You're cute when you concentrate," Beca tells her, nudging Chloe's arm with her foot.

Chloe smiles and tickles the bottom of her foot, causing Beca to shriek with laughter. "Oooh, ticklish?"

Beca just pouts and Chloe laughs before turning back to the computer. She appears to linger on one picture, expression softening as she leans back into the pillows ever so slightly.

"What?"

Chloe turns the laptop toward Beca, showing her the picture. It's of Beca laying on the sand, facing the camera and squinting behind her aviators, hand up to block a little more sun. Chloe had taken it blindly when they were lying on the beach blanket, listening to the waves.

"You're stunning," Chloe says quietly, and Beca's cheeks flush an unnatural shade of red.

Beca's usually better at taking compliments, or at least at playing them down with a sarcastic quip, but it seems like whenever they come from Chloe, she turns into a shy, blushing mess. "I think that has a lot to do with the photographer," she finally manages.

"Hey ladies!" Jesse calls as she walks in, DVD, Twizzlers, and popcorn in hand. He takes note of Beca and Chloe's position and winks at Beca. "Who's ready for a midnight matinee?"

Chloe laughs and pushes her laptop to the side, squirming her legs out from underneath Beca's and helping her up. Beca rolls her eyes - she still doesn't get the movie thing - but allows herself to be dragged into the living room anyway. She knows that, despite the couch that could easily seat four, Chloe's going to sink into Beca's side for the entirety of the film, and she figures that's about the best distraction she can get.

**-xxx-**

The night before Chloe leaves is a quiet one. Jesse "has something to do" - the goofy grin he gives Beca is the key to Beca knowing he's just trying to play matchmaker - so she and Chloe snuggle up on the couch and watch old reruns of _Friends_, because Chloe was kind of appalled that Beca had no knowledge of the show. Beca is quiet most of the night, because even though Jesse is constantly teasing her, her back misses her bed instead of the floor, and there are all these conflicting feelings she can't seem to sort out, she likes having Chloe there. She's going to miss it.

Halfway through the third episode, as Chloe's fingers start slowly massaging her scalp, Beca feels eyelids start to get heavy. "Mmmm... you are the best," she breathes out, snuggling closer, and she feels more than hears Chloe's chuckle.

"If I'd have known this was all it took to turn you into a pile of mush, I might have tried it sooner."

"You found my kryptonite," Beca says, stifling a yawn and attempting to focus on the TV again.

**-xxx-**

The next morning, after they drop Chloe off at the airport, Beca comes home, climbs in bed, and doesn't let herself think about why she's not changing the sheets.

Or about why she's got her cell phone gripped in her hand, waiting for text.

Or...

Actually, there's _a lot_ she doesn't let herself think about when it comes to Chloe.

**-xxx-**

Communication gets easier after that. They text and iChat and Facetime, mostly without any awkward tension, unless Jesse's teased her a bit too long that day or she's feeling particularly introspective. Chloe, seemingly accepting it as _Beca being Beca_, brushes it off, and they carry about business as usual.

Two weeks after Chloe leaves, Beca is holed up in her dorm room, studying, when she gets a text.

_hey you. what are you up to?_

Beca smiles, accepting the text as an excuse to take a break.

_studying. call you when i finish this chapter?_

_sounds good to me_

Patience, Beca discovers, is still not one of her greatest virtues, especially when it comes to something she really wants (and she _really_ wants this break; wants to talk to Chloe.) She tries her hardest to focus on the task at hand, but impatience gets the best of her and she grabs her phone, calling Chloe back.

"Anxious much?" Beca asks when Chloe answers on the first ring.

Chloe laughs. "Hello to you too. What are you studying for?"

"Everything. Finals week."

"Finals?" Chloe questions. "Aren't those usually at the beginning of December?"

"SCAD has a really weird schedule," she explains. "Finals are right before Thanksgiving and then we don't start up again until after the New Year."

"Damn, you guys got it lucky."

"Says the girl not even going to college," Beca reminds her, falling back onto the bed.

"Touche. Anyway... I was calling to see if you had plans for New Year's."

"Mmmm not that I know of," Beca says, flipping through her calendar to double check. "I don't go back to Portland until Monday before Christmas, 'cause Jesse and I are playing some shows before then. And I need to by tickets for that, so thank you for reminding me. But there are no plans for New Year's."

"You wanna come here?" Chloe asks. "The guys are going to Vegas for New Year's, and I don't want to have to spend it alone."

"No one else wants to spend it with you?" Beca teases, secretly thrilled at the prospect.

"No one here is my favorite. You are."

"Awww, I'm flattered," Beca jokes, trying to cover up for the intense way her heart clenched at Chloe's words.

"Seriously," Chloe says. "I miss you. I had fun there and now I want to show you around my city. I promise we'll have _tons_ of fun. Please?"

Beca can practically _hear_ the puppy dog expression she knows Chloe has on, so she says yes and laughs as Chloe giggles with excitement. They discuss plans and places Beca wants to see and Chloe wants to show her while Beca looks up flights. She finds out she can save almost a hundred dollars by coming in on the 28th, and she has to weigh out the options less time at home and more time with Chloe, or a little extra time with Luke and her mom. She feels a little bad when she lets Chloe win out.

They're on the phone for nearly an hour before Beca hangs up so she can get back to studying. It's a worthless attempt, though, because she is buzzing with the excitement - and subsequent nerves - of going to see Chloe in a little over a month.


	8. 19: Part 7

The month after finals goes by in a blur. This New Thingplay a few shows in Florida, and Jesse stays in Miami so he can drive his own car back after the break and they can stop using Benji's to tour. Beca drives back to Savannah by herself, the trip long and boring without someone to talk to, but she stays mostly entertained with an iPod full of new music. Chloe also helps in the entertainment area with her texts and phone calls, but Beca tries not to think about the way the butterflies flutter every time Chloe's name pops up on the screen.

**-xxx-**

Beca's time in Portland is entirely too short. She catches up with family and old friends, all of them eager to hear about her second year at SCAD - something no one was anticipating after her protest at even _going_ - and how This New Thing is, well, _The Next Big Thing_. Beca laughs off the compliments as crazy talk, even though they make her feel amazing. Savannah is no Los Angeles, but at least she's doing something with her life. She spends the most amount of time at home with Luke, who she has missed like crazy in the past year and a half since she last saw him. They stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking about everything, and once or twice she is even tempted to tell him about Chloe, but she's really not sure what to even say.

She texts with Chloe the entire time she's there, every text bringing a smile to her face, from the random notes throughout the day to the _I miss you. Is it the 28__th__ yet? _that she gets almost every day. (_Soon_ is always Beca's reply, and she doesn't let herself think about why she desperately wants to add _I miss you too._) At night - early morning, really - when Beca lies in bed trying to fall asleep, they discuss things to do while Beca visits, but nothing really gets set in stone; they're both looking forward to the trip being a little spontaneous.

**-xxx-**

On the night before Beca's flight to New York, she's stretched out on Luke's floor, smiling as she reads a text from Chloe.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Luke asks, tossing a gummi bear at her head that she swats away before it makes contact.

"What?" Beca asks, eyebrows knitting in confusion. She isn't purposely being dense, she's just completely clueless as to what he means.

"Oh, c'mon, Beca. You've been attached to your phone since you got here and you smile at almost every text you get. So who is he? Is it that guy in your band? Is that who you're going to New York with?"

"What? No. I'm going to meet my friend Chloe."

"Hmmm... friend or _friend_?" Luke asks, waggling his eyebrows ridiculously.

"God what is with you people?" Beca sighs, moving from the floor to the bed, next to Luke. "First Jesse now you. Remember that band I made you listen to? The Flyaways?"

Luke nods. "Yeah, they were awesome."

"Chloe's the lead singer. Jesse and I played a show with them and Chloe and I ended up hanging out and becoming friends."

Luke nods. "Okay," he says, waiting a beat before continuing. "Bec?"

"Yeah, Luke?"

"If she was, y'know, _friend _not friend, we'd all be okay with it. You know that, right?"

"I'm not gay, Luke," Beca insists. "But considering how open everyone here is, yeah, I know they would be cool with it."

Luke says nothing further, just wraps his arm protectively around Beca.

**-xxx-**

Beca's waiting at the gate at four-thirty in the morning, which seems a little ridiculous, considering her flight doesn't leave until six, but she was concerned she would be late. Despite the early wake up, her mom had made her favorite waffles, and she'd shared a teary goodbye with everyone before Luke had taken her to the airport. As he hugged her at the terminal, he whispered _'T__ell her to take care of you'_, before pulling her bags from the trunk and sending her on her way. Now she sat, alone, at Gate C17, just hours away from seeing Chloe.

Bored, and not yet willing to crack into a book, she picks up her phone and texts Chloe, hoping the other girl is already awake.

_hey you. you awake yet or am i going to have to be bored for the next hour and a half?_

When her phone rings less than a minute later, Beca smiles brightly.

**-xxx-**

The flight is boring, as most flights usually are, but she knows this one will be longer than most because of anticipation of who is waiting for her at the other side. As soon as the pilot announces they can turn on their electronics, she plugs in her iPod, scrolling through a playlist of songs that Chloe had sent her a few days prior.

The next thing she knows, the flight attendant is tapping her shoulder lightly, asking her to put her iPod away. She blinks slowly to take in her surroundings, realizing that she slept the entire flight away. She rolls head from shoulder to shoulder, stretching the crick in her neck, and smiles when the pilot announces they're about to begin their descent into the New York City. After she shoves her iPod in her bag, battery long dead, she continues to roll her neck to work out the 5-hour kink, and by the time they land, it's mostly gone.

Once they arrive at the gate, Beca stays seated, staring at the window as all the other passengers gather their belongings and fight their way for the door before she grabs her bags. She's never understood why everyone jumped up as soon as they could; it wasn't like they were going to get anywhere any faster in the tiny aisles. She has always hated crowds, but airplanes were the worst, so she chooses to let everyone filter out before grabbing her own bags and making her way into the airport.

After fishing her carryon from the overhead compartment, she switches on her cell phone, which immediately beeps to let her know she has a message. It's from Chloe, so she texts back to let her know they've landed.

_thank god. i was starting to get anxious._

_yeah? exactly how long have you been waiting?_

_too long. i'm at baggage claim. _

Beca smiles at this and drops her phone into her bag while she locates the signs for baggage claim. She does her best to scale back her excitement and take measured, quick steps, but she can't help herself and is in a half-run by time she reaches the escalator down to baggage claim. She scans the crowd for Chloe as she makes her way down, but doesn't spot the flash of red hair, so she makes her way over to the carousel to wait on her bag. She taps her foot anxiously as she waits until someone grabs her from behind and she nearly jumps out of her skin. For a brief second, she thinks she's being mugged in broad daylight, and go figure that this would happen the first time she sets foot in New York. but then her brain registers the scent of lavender perfume and coconut shampoo and her heart skips a beat.

"Chloe," she breathes out before turning in the other girl's arms.

"Missed you," Chloe says softly, and they stand there for just a moment, staring at each other, leaning so close that Beca is almost _certain_ she can already taste Chloe's fruity lip gloss, and she draws her bottom lip into her mouth, biting down with nervous anticipation. The kiss doesn't happen, though, because Chloe moves ever so slightly to the right to hug her tightly, and everyone else disappears and it's just the two of them.

"Missed you, too," Beca whispers into Chloe's hair, and she holds on just a little bit tighter when Chloe's lips press against the crook of her neck before she pulls away.

**-xxx-**

They take a cab back to Chloe's apartment and Chloe spends the whole time pressed up against Beca's side, reaching across to point out different landmarks, restaurants, and other random places along the way. Beca tries to listen, but mostly she's busy with _not_ focusing on Chloe's breath (warm against her skin), or Chloe's right hand (casually resting half on Beca's thigh, half on her hand), or Chloe's hair (which smells so intoxicating Beca thinks she might be able to classify it as her own personal drug), or Chloe's mouth (which sometimes brushes against her ear when she whispers something about the city as they pass). When they reach the apartment, which is a gorgeous one bedroom a few blocks from the Chelsea Piers, Beca explores Chloe's living room while the other girl gets towels and blankets for her. ("I'd offer you my bed, but honestly, that couch is _so_ comfortable. I've slept on it more than my bed," Chloe had explained.)

She is naturally drawn to the collage of pictures that nearly take up one entire wall, scanning them slowly for a glimpse into the side of Chloe's life that she's not yet privy to. The first picture she notices is the one of them at the beach. Converted to black and white and placed in a simple black frame, it looks more gorgeous than Beca remembered and it makes her feel strangely shy to have such an intimate moment hanging there on Chloe's wall for anyone to see. Another picture of the two of them - pressed close together on Beca's bed as Chloe had tried to get them both in the shot - catches her eye and she smiles. That particular picture had been Chloe's profile picture on Facebook for a while and more than a few comments had been about "how cute you two look together."

As her eyes scan the less familiar pictures, she notices two people who are in more than any of the others. One is a tall blonde, and Beca assumes this is Chloe's best friend Aubrey. The other is a guy – sort of chisled and handsome (in that jockish yet strangely adorable way) – is in quite a few of them. She's seen him before on Chloe's Facebook as well, and can only assume he is the infamous Tom, the one Chloe was no longer engaged to. They hadn't really discussed him since that first night they met, but Beca remembers Chloe mentioning that they managed to stay friends. Looking at those pictures, at how happy Chloe looks, Beca can't help but feel the tiniest twinge of jealousy.

"I see you found my pictures," Chloe says as she makes her way back to the living room.

"Not hard to miss," Beca says with a smile, turning to face Chloe. "They take up the whole wall."

"I like taking pictures," Chloe comments with a shrug. "They're not as good as yours."

Beca blushes and looks down to pick nonexistent lint from her shirt, chuckling lightly. "They're good. It's the emotion behind them that counts."

"Yeah, I guess," Chloe tells her as she steps closer. They just stand there, gazing at each other, and Beca feels that familiar _pull_; that inexplicable need to be near Chloe. Even though they're only inches apart, Beca wants to be closer; she can feel the weight of something between them, as if being in the same place has made it all real again. "You wanna shower before we go out?"

Beca nods, thankful Chloe interrupted her train of thought, because she knows already that it would have ended nowhere good. "Yeah, a shower sounds great," she tells Chloe and grabs a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom. She stands under the hot spray, replaying that moment in the living room again, and wonders if coming to New York was really the best idea.


	9. 19: Part 8

**a/n: Sorry this has taken so long! I know many of you have been begging me to update, so here it is... I hope you enjoy. The next part will be up much, much sooner...**

* * *

Chloe takes Beca out for a late lunch at her favorite cafe and they discuss their holidays, their bands, and basically anything that comes to mind. It amazes Beca that they haven't run out of things to say yet. She's never been one for talking - or sharing, really - but for some reason, Chloe just makes her open up.

(She tries to attribute it to the fact that Chloe herself is an open book, but Jesse is too and she's never had this kind of conversation with him.)

After lunch, they make their way to The Flyaways' rehearsal space because Chloe feels like she should "return the favor" of Beca allowing her to intrude on the rehearsal space in Savannah. The space is big - at least twice the size of Beca and Jesse's - but somehow manages to still feel homey.

Beca runs her fingers slowly over Chloe's mic stand, walking around it slowly. It feels weird - not a bad weird, just _strange_ - being in Chloe's space like this and she looks up at the girl, crooked smile on her face.

"You play?" She asks, sliding onto the piano bench for the keyboard just to the left of the mic stand.

"Yeah," Chloe responds with a nod.

Beca's fingers ghost over the keys softly. "D'ya mind?"

"Play me something."

She thinks for a moment, plinking out random notes and chords until an idea strikes.

_It's goin' down fade to blackstreet the homies got at me collab creations..._

Chloe's jaw drops as she listens, and Beca smiles as she raps the rest of Dre's verse. She draws out the time between the intro and the first verse, giving herself some time to get the giggles out and move back into serious mode

_Shawty get down, good lord..._

Once Beca moves into the "slow jamz" style of the rest of the song, Chloe moves her hips slowly, getting into the groove of the song, even joining in on the vocals of the chorus. Beca has to tear her eyes away from Chloe's swaying hips to keep from messing up, but Chloe has different ideas, working her way closer to the keyboard to the point of Beca being unable to avoid looking at her. She drops the song off just before Queen Pen's verse, hitting the last chords and proclaiming _we out!_

"That was hot," Chloe murmurs, leaning against the keyboard.

"Uh, yeah," Beca agrees, her cheeks flushed a furious red and not quite meeting Chloe's eyes.

She sees Chloe's hand reach out, feels it tilt her chin up, and Chloe's leaning ridiculously close. She knows what happens here and she backs away, practically tripping over the bench as she does so.

"I should... yeah," she nods toward the door, not even giving Chloe a chance to protest.

She zips her jacket and shoves her fingers into black knit gloves as she makes her way down the hall, pushing through the metal door to the sidewalk. Standing out in the cold air lets Beca clear her head and regroup. She hadn't properly prepared herself for the physical part of what it meant to be near Chloe again, which meant she really hadn't prepared herself for watching Chloe's borderline dirty dancing just a moment ago. She shoves her gloved hands in her pockets and watches her breath as it condenses and forms into tiny tendrils of vapor, twisting together before evaporating completely.

"You ready to go before you freeze to death?"

Chloe's voice pulls Beca from her thoughts and she realizes then that she's shivering, teeth chattering and everything. "Yeah. I am," Beca says, sincere smile on her face.

"Then let's do it." Chloe loops her arm though one of Beca's, and they walk down the street, arm in arm. Beca thinks it feels strangely romantic - like most of their interactions - but doesn't say anything, as usual. It's not like she wants it to stop.

**-xxx-**

That night, Beca lies on the couch (and damn, Chloe was right; it was a _really _comfortable couch), wondering what she's doing there. They were obviously friends, but she and Jesse were friends, too, and their friendship was never this complicated. Beca wants to ask, but she's more than a little scared to find out.

**-xxx-**

The next morning, they're sitting at the bar in Chloe's apartment, just finishing breakfast, when Chloe brings _it_ up. _It_ being the subject they'd been systematically ignoring since the day it happened. "I think we need to talk about what happened in Atlanta."

Beca takes a drink of orange juice to avoid choking on the bite of toast in her mouth. Once she swallows, she nods her head. "Okay."

Chloe moves from her place on the opposite side of the bar to the barstool next to Beca. She places her hands on Beca's knees, looking at her. "What happened that night was..."

Beca interrupts, unwilling to actually hear Chloe tell her what a mistake it was. "A mistake. I know. And I..."

"That isn't what I was going to say," Chloe cuts in.

Beca blinks, relief flooding her as she expels a breath she didn't know she was holding. For everything about that night that should have been a mistake, Beca could never think of it as such. She's unsure of what to say, so she says the first thing that comes to mind. "You didn't call me."

Chloe's eyes go wide in disbelief. "You ran out on _me_, Beca. I wasn't exactly sure if you wanted me to."

"I'm not gay, Chloe. I'm not. And you... Jesus, we hadn't even known each other 12 hours. I think the panic was a little understandable."

Chloe is silent, her hands still resting on Beca's leg. She nudges her softly with her knee. "You stole my favorite shirt."

Beca smiles at Chloe's attempt to lighten the mood. "You gave it to me!"

"I did no such thing."

"You gave it to me after convincing me to spend the night."

"To borrow. Not to take with you when you ran out on me in the dead of night."

Beca's heart clenches at the sadness lacing Chloe's words. "I didn't leave 'til the morning."

"Ugh. You know what I mean, Beca," Chloe says standing again.

And Chloe's right, Beca knows exactly what she means. "If it wasn't a mistake... what was it?" she asks, standing as well.

"I... I'm not sure what it was. I don't regret it, whatever it was."

Beca's heart soars when she hears this. She can't figure out why; it changes nothing about their situation now. There are still obstacles; but just knowing that Chloe doesn't regret it makes her inexplicably happy. "Then why didn't you call me?"

"Jesus Christ, Beca," Chloe says, exasperated. She paces back and forth as she rants. "Why did I have to be the one to call you? The telephone works _both_ ways, just like it always has. What was I supposed to do when I woke up alone, no note, no nothing? I'm not a fucking mind reader, Beca. And no, I didn't call you when I woke up without you there. And I didn't call you when I missed you at the show the next night. Or when I couldn't stop thinking about you for two weeks; wondering what you were doing, if you were thinking of me too. I was scared, Bec. I don't exactly make a habit of doing these kinds of things. So no, I didn't call you, but I flew to Savannah, just to see you again."

The weight of what Chloe just admitted hits her like a ton of bricks. "Oh," she mutters, smiling softly and feeling silly, but ridiculously giddy at the same time. Chloe just... Chloe makes her feel things she thought only existed in the terrible movies Jesse made her watch.

"Bec?" Chloe asks, standing just inches from where Beca's sitting.

"Hmmm?" Beca's heart is beating fast, a subconscious realization setting in when she feels Chloe's warm breath ghost across her skin.

"I'm gonna kiss you right now, okay?"

Beca's brain freezes and she hesitates, scared to say yes but unable to say no. Fortunately, she never has to make the decision because before she can answer, Chloe's lips are on hers. The kiss is chaste but firm, completely opposite of any of the kisses they shared in the hotel room months ago, and Beca's lips part easily, letting Chloe in. Her hands come up to tangle in the hair at the nape of Chloe's neck as their tongues slide against one another, and Beca can't help the way her body instinctually presses closer to the shorter girl's. Try as she might, Beca can't ignore the tiny voice in the back of her head, rattling off everything that's wrong with what they're doing, and she starts to pull back, but Chloe holds her in place.

"Don't leave again," Chloe whispers against her lips.

"We can't do this," Beca replies, even as she continues to kiss Chloe.

"I know."

The kiss continues, Beca's back pressed up against the cold marble of the countertop as they explore each other's mouths slowly. "We should stop," Beca says, but her voice lacks any real conviction.

"We will."

**-xxx-**

Hours later, Beca and Chloe are curled up on the couch, lips swollen and red from kisses, watching a movie. (Okay, so Chloe's watching the movie and Beca's watching Chloe watch the movie. Whatever.) They hadn't progressed past kissing, which was fine by Beca because as much as she wanted to experience it all again, she knew they shouldn't, or couldn't, really. They shouldn't have even been kissing or snuggling the way they were, but Beca couldn't help it. She was inexplicably drawn to Chloe.

Chloe's phone goes off and Beca can't help the grunt of dissatisfaction when she reaches for her phone. She sighs happily when Chloe adjusts back to her previous position, but as she reads her text, something indecipherable flashes across her face. Beca doesn't mean to pry, but she can't help it.

"Is everything okay?"

Chloe puts down her phone and looks at Beca. "Yeah," she says, but her voice is the slightest bit shaky, like she doesn't mean it. "Tom's, uh, well he's moving to LA and wants to see me before he leaves. And... he said he'd like to meet you."

"Oh," Beca says, because it's the only thing she can think of. She squints, confused. "He knows about me?"

"Yeah," Chloe blushes. "I mean I know it's weird because he's my ex but we kind of are friends? And I told him about you because he drove me to the airport when I visited you? I mean I didn't like _tell him_ tell him, not about Atlanta or anything. I mean not about after the show. And, uh, I told him you were coming here for New Years and whatever and -" Chloe cuts off her own ramble, her quick speech and repetitive sentences taking Beca by surprise. "You don't have to. I can make up some excuse or whatever, 'cause I know..."

Beca, apparently, is some sort of masochist because she cuts Chloe off, smiling as she says, "Sure, I'd love to meet him."

Even if her brain is saying _Ugh, seriously?_

* * *

**A/N Part 2: The No Diggity piano version is actually a thing; youtube ****Jesse Peters feat. Tim Gotten - No Diggity if you wanna hear.**


	10. 19: Part 9

Beca and Chloe bundle up and walk six blocks in the cold, windy streets of New York. To Beca it feels more like six miles and her constant shivering leads Chloe to offer up her extra pair of gloves. Her eyes are twinkling as she cracks a joke about southern girls_,_ and Beca rolls her eyes and tells her to shut it (even if she really is thankful for the generosity and lack of frostbite).

When they finally reach Tom's building, Chloe kisses Beca's cheek on the elevator and says, "We won't stay long, I promise."

Beca smiles and nods at Chloe's comment, wondering if the awkwardness that she is feeling is displayed on her face. When they reach Tom's door, Beca averts her eyes, counting all the matching doors between them and the fire escape. It's a coping mechanism she picked up as a kid - finding certain patterns to distract herself from uncomfortable situations - and she feels like she needs it now more than she ever has. She catches Tom opening the door out of the corner of her eye and it pleases her more than it should that when he leans in for a kiss, Chloe turns to give him her cheek.

"You must be Beca," he says, smiling and offering his hand. "Chloe's talked about you so much, I figured I needed to put a face with the name."

"And you must be Tom," she replies. She smiles at his comment, eyes darting to Chloe, who blushes and turns. She walks into the apartment, feeling uncomfortably out of place, her eyes scanning the room. It's stereotypically male, a few pictures and a huge entertainment center without much other decoration. This, of course, could be due to the fact that he's moving, but the living room seems largely untouched so Beca's just going to assume her first guess is right.

"Come, sit," Chloe says, patting her spot next to the couch as Tom heads to the large collection of DVDs on the other side of the room.

"Sorry, I just have to keep packing this up," he says. "Make yourselves at home. I'll be done in a few."

Beca's not sure she could ever feel at home while feeling so awkward, and sitting next to Chloe does nothing to calm the feelings.

"You want something to drink?" Chloe asks, turning to face Beca.

"I... uh... water would be fantastic."

"Coming right up." Chloe stands and moves to the kitchen, Beca following her.

"Chloe," she says quietly. "Are you sure you don't want me to go back to your place? I mean you guys won't see each other for awhile and..." Beca stops, unable to say the next part of that sentence.

"Don't be silly," Chloe says, her fingers brushing Beca's as she hands her the glass of water. "He's probably going to be packing most of the night anyway. I promise. It'll be short."

Beca practically downs the water in one gulp and smiles at Chloe. "As long as you're sure."

They head back for the living room and Chloe lays down on the couch, head in Beca's lap as she flips through Tom's stereo, searching for something to listen to.

Beca freezes awkwardly, unsure of what to do. This level of intimacy in the privacy of hers or Chloe's apartment is one thing, but in Tom's apartment? "Chloe," she hisses. "What are you doing?"

Chloe tilts her head up just a bit, looking at Beca quizzically. "Finding some music. Why?"

"Uh..." Beca looks between the two of them and raises an eyebrow.

"Stop being silly," Chloe laughs, going back to the music, and Beca is confused, but just reaches for her water and sips it slowly, trying to ease the tension that's set in her shoulders.

"So, Beca," Tom says, voice a little loud so it carries over the music. "What are you majoring in? Chloe told me you were in art school, but she never said what for."

"Photography and Music Comp," she replies with a smile.

"Ah. Makes sense; she said you were great behind a camera."

Beca chuckles and fights back an awkward smirk, her face flushing a deep red as she glances at Chloe. "What _hasn't_ she told you about me?"

Tom smiles wide, bright white teeth practically shining in the dim light of the apartment. "Good question. She talks about you _a lot._"

"Do not," Chloe says, sitting up.

"Really?" Tom teases.

"Not anymore than you talk about Denise."

Tom glares playfully, and Chloe sticks her tongue out in victory.

Beca, for her part, feels like she's missing some vital part of the conversation and makes a mental note to bring it up with Chloe later. They chat a bit more, Tom asking her about the band and how she's adjusting to "southern life" - Tom lived in Texas for while so they trade stories about some of the crazy quirks of the South that they had encountered - and it becomes obvious to Beca why Chloe was so attracted to him. He's a little cocky, but in the adorable way (much like Chloe herself), and when he asks questions, she gets the vibe that he is actually interested in the answer and isn't just trying to be polite. They are there almost two hours when Tom declares he is starving, and after the requisite _nice to meet you_s and _hope to see you_ _soon_s, Beca tells Chloe she will wait downstairs for her.

Less than a minute later, Chloe comes bounding out the door, practically jumping from the top step to tackle Beca. When their laughter dies down, Chloe asks, "So... what do you think?"

"He's nice," Beca replies evenly, and as much as she wishes she didn't, she actually means it. The fact that he seems like a genuinely nice person makes Beca feel bad - well, _worse_ - about the fact that she doesn't _completely _like him because of his past with Chloe.

"Yeah, he's pretty much my favorite guy on the planet," Chloe says, stepping off the curb as soon as the light changes_. _"I mean, I know it's weird because we're not dating anymore, but it was pretty amicable. I'm glad we stayed friends."

"Who's Denise?" Beca blurts out, immediately cursing her curious mind. She wanted to ask, sure, but not quite so randomly.

"Oh. She's Tom's girlfriend."

Beca stops immediately, choking on the cold air she had just sucked into her lungs. There was no way she heard Chloe right. Maybe she had meant girl that was a friend?

Chloe stops and turns at the sound. "Are you okay?"

"She... but you... I..." Beca sputters, unable to form a complete thought. Chloe had just essentially compared her to someone of girlfriend status.

Chloe seems to sense what's off and squeezes Beca's hand gently. "It was a joke, Beca. I mean, yeah, I probably talk about you a lot, but I just talk a lot in general, y'know? I just wanted to give Tom a hard time."

Beca sighs deeply, feeling even more conflicted after Chloe's confession. She manages to force a smile, though, and squeezes Chloe's hand back as they make their way back to the warmth and safety of Chloe's apartment.

**-xxx-**

That night, lying awake on Chloe's couch, Beca stares up at the ceiling, thinking about the new developments of the past few hours.

When Chloe first revealed that Denise was Tom's girlfriend - and Chloe talked about Beca as much as Tom did Denise - she had panicked. She had felt trapped by an undefined relationship - by a friendship that was clearly more than just a friendship - and it made every part of her seize up. Relationships weren't her _thing_; she had sworn them off after her parents split. It had been a good plan that carried her thus far without a broken heart even though she had watched many high school classmates deal with their fair share.

While the thought of a relationship scared her almost more than anything, Chloe's brush off of her comments had made Beca feel something that was more like disappointment than dread.

Up until she'd met Chloe, she was fairly certain she was straight. But then Chloe showed up, making her feel things _no one_ had ever made her feel and there was the confliction again; the battle between head and heart raging on worse than before.

_Maybe_, she thinks, _it isn't a "gay" thing. Maybe I just want Chloe._

She tosses this idea around in her head, wondering exactly what the harm would be in letting Chloe in. The other girl already has so much control over her emotions, what if she stops holding back? What if she actually lets herself feel what her heart already knows is there? She's seen the destruction left in the wake of a broken heart. She knows there are a million ways it could all go wrong, but for once, part of her doesn't care. The other part is absolutely terrified.

Beca feels herself drifting and closes her eyes, head and heart still conflicted. She sighs, throwing her arm across her eyes. "I am so screwed."

**-xxx-**

Beca wakes up wrapped in strong arms and after the initial confusion, she smiles softly. She doesn't remember Chloe coming in, but despite the turmoil in her head when she fell asleep she feels like she just had the best night of sleep she's had in a long time. Chloe's hair tickles her arm and she moves to brush it back, accidentally waking Chloe in the processes.

Chloe whines in protest, not even opening her eyes as she says, "Mmmm... morning."

"Hi, you," Beca whispers, turning in Chloe's arms to face the other girl.

"Sorry," Chloe says, scooting back a little from Beca. "You were having a bad night."

"I was thinking."

"About what? You sounded like you were having nightmares."

"Nothing to worry about," Beca assures her, bringing her lips to Chloe's. "It's okay."

They lay there for a few minutes – not kissing, not moving – just watching each other until Chloe's stomach growls loudly.

Beca smiles, kissing Chloe once more before climbing off the couch. "I guess that means it's breakfast time," she says, heading to get ready for the day.

* * *

**A/N: Shorter chapter here because I needed a good breaking point for the _next_ chapter. Sorry if the beginning felt a little like filler, but I needed a little bit of a catalyst to get Beca to start _really_ analyzing everything.  
**


	11. 19: Part 10

"So...What do you wanna do tonight?" Beca asks, pulling Chloe from her thoughts. They're on the couch again, Beca sitting up with her arms wrapped around Chloe, who is tucked in between her legs.

Chloe drops the book she was reading, careful to note what page she left off on. "What do you think?" She asks, turning slightly so she can see Beca's face. "Chloe... please no. It's crowded and cold and it's gonna be a bunch of drunk people stumbling all over each other. "

"_Beca_," Chloe pleads, drawing the name out into a whine; she lets her fingers trail along Beca's forearm, giving her goosebumps. "It's your first time in New York and I've never been. Please?"

"I'm sure it's not the thrill they make it out to be."

Chloe sticks her bottom lip out in a pout and looks up at Beca from under her lashes. "Please?" Her lips ghost against Beca's. "I'll let you kiss me when the ball drops."

"Oh?" Beca arches an eyebrow. "You'll _let me_ kiss you?"

"Yes."

"But not if we stay in?"

Beca shakes her head, knowing she's never going to win this fight. "You've got to make some sort of effort for it. You know what they say about New Year's kisses after all," Beca says, stopping suddenly when she realizes what she has said.

"Y- yeah," The look on Chloe's face lets her know that yes, she knows exactly what they say about New Year's kisses, and no, Beca isn't the only one that is suddenly scared at the prospect.

"You're lucky you're cute," Beca finally relents.

Chloe lets out a tiny squeal of happiness and snuggles into Beca's neck, sighing when Beca's fingers start lightly massaging her scalp. "You're gonna put me to sleep," she murmurs and Beca kisses her forehead, not stopping her ministrations.

**-xxx-**

It takes about 30 seconds for Beca's suspicions to be confirmed, but they make their way through the crowd anyway, fingers interlocked and sticking close to one another, until Chloe finds a spot she deems suitable for the night. And now... they wait.

**-xxx-**

It's cold and it's crowded, and there are plenty of drunk people stumbling all over each other. They are barely within viewing distance of where the ball will drop, but Beca's not going to complain, because Chloe's hugging her from behind, chin on her shoulder and arms around her waist. It's romantic - _intimate_, even - and the bubbly Beca's got in her system just makes it that much better. It's weird, she thinks, how she lets herself forget all her inhibitions; lets Chloe slowly disassemble her walls, brick by brick, but still isn't ready for what it means.

"You might wanna slow down, lush," Chloe teases, interrupting her thoughts. She slips the bottle of champagne from Beca's gloved hand and takes a swig. "You're not even legal anyway. Scandalous!"

Beca laughs and takes the bottle back. "Neither are you," she retorts, turning in Chloe's arms. They're pressed just as close, the crowd not allowing them any further apart, but they're face to face and Beca _really_ wants to kiss her right now, but she holds off. "Five minutes 'til midnight. Got any resolutions?"

Chloe shakes her head. "I never stick to them, so they end up making me feel worse about myself," she informs Beca, and it makes her think for a moment.

"That's a really great outlook, actually," she says. "But I thought I was the depressing one.

"Nah. It's not depressing if it's true."

Beca, not wanting to resist any longer, leans in to press her lips against Chloe's, but Chloe pulls away before she can succeed.

"Nuh-uh. Patience, patience." She looks at her watch. "Think you can manage another two minutes and 30 seconds?"

"Maybe," Beca tells her, smirk playing across her lips. She pulls out her camera and takes a few shots of them standing in the crowd, huddled into each other for warmth. When Chloe leans in and presses her lips to the side of Beca's jaw, she knows she has the shot she wants and puts the camera away.

They stand there, wrapped up together, until suddenly the crowd _pushes_ and they stumble forward, still clinging to each other, and Beca realizes they're starting the countdown. She turns her head, taking it all in. It feels surreal, _being_ there after so many years of watching it on TV, and she grins like a madman, her eyes twinkling with childish bliss that she'd never admit to. She knows it's just an enormous ball of lights, but she's never seen anything more gorgeous.

_10..._

Beca turns to Chloe, brushes a thumb across her cheek.

_9_...

Chloe sighs (and Beca can't hear it, but she can tell by the wisps of vapor trailing up into the night), leaning into the touch.

_8..._

Beca's mouth goes dry when she realizes she was wrong about the "never seen anything more gorgeous," because how beautiful Chloe looks in the cold - knit hat pulled down over her ears, scarf wrapped tight around her neck, and her cheeks and nose a rosy red from the cold - hits her like a ton of bricks and she has to remember to tell herself to breathe.

_7..._

Chloe smiles, brushes the aforementioned ice cube of a nose against Beca's.

_6..._

Beca realizes she's not watching the ball anymore, but it's already disappeared behind the crowd and Chloe is a lot prettier anyway.

_5..._

Beca's never known 5 seconds could stretch out so long.

_4..._

Chloe's hand slips to the back of Beca's neck, and even though it's gloves and not skin, Beca shivers and presses the slightest bit closer.

_3..._

Their lips are so close, Beca can taste it.

_2..._

Beca licks her lips, drawing the bottom one into her mouth

_1..._

Their lips meet, tender at first, and Beca swears it's not just static shock she feels against her bottom lip as it deepens, Chloe's tongue running along her bottom lip. Beca's mouth parts easily and she presses her hips into Chloe's, moaning into her mouth. They break apart for air and Beca rests her forehead against Chloe's.

"Happy New Year," Chloe mouths, knowing Beca won't be able to hear her amongst the singing and cheering of the crowd.

Beca leans in, lips pressed against Chloe's ear and says, "Happy New Year. I'm glad you convinced me to come out." Chloe pulls back, looking at her questioningly, and Beca leans in again. "Your face, when you watched the ball light up... it was amazing. And that kiss..." She has no words for everything going through her head right now, so she just sighs contentedly. "I'm glad I didn't miss it."

**-xxx-**

They get home shortly after three and Chloe helps Beca up the stairs, arm wrapped around her waist for a little bit of balance after too much champagne. Truthfully, Beca's pretty sure she'd have made it on her own, but when Chloe offered, she couldn't say no.

"Thank you." Beca leans up against Chloe's doorframe, watching the other girl as she unlocks the door to her apartment. She reaches out, brushing a strand of hair back behind Chloe's ear, smiling back when Chloe smiles at her. "I had a really, _really _good time," she whispers, stepping closer to Chloe until their lips touch, briefly.

"Inside," Chloe demands, and as soon as they're through the threshold, her hands slip in Beca's back pockets, pulling her closer. "Kiss me again."

Beca does so eagerly, and through the lingering taste of champagne on her own tongue, she tastes Chloe, sweet and fruity. "Happy New Year," Beca breathes against her mouth.

Chloe pulls back, face flush and hair mussed from Beca's fingers twisting in it, and Beca thinks she's never seen anyone more beautiful.

"We should get some sleep," Chloe says.

Beca doesn't verbally agree, but toes off her Converse near the door and moves to the couch - with Chloe's help, of course - where she tugs her jeans off her hips and strips off her several layers of tops until she's standing there in only her bra and underwear. "Stay with me," Beca whispers, tugging at Chloe's wrist as she lowers herself to the couch.

"B, you're drunk."

"Tipsy, Chloe. There's a difference," she says with a smile. She looks up from under her lashes (she's already figured out she can't resist when Chloe does it, so she should be using it to her advantage too) and asks, "Please?"

Chloe kicks off her heels and strips as well, he dress pooling to the floor at her feet, which she steps out of and lifts the corner of the blanket. "Get under the covers before your freeze."

"Keep me warm," Beca murmurs, climbing on top of Chloe. She takes note of the way their skin slides against each other, already heated up from the freezing cold outside, and the way Chloe's racing heart is starting to clear what's left of her alcohol-induced haze.

"Beca," Chloe whispers gently, gripping at her hips and keeping her close.

Beca's lips make a path down Chloe's neck and she can't see it in the darkness of the living room, but she knows there's going to be a light purple mark at the junction of neck and shoulder in the morning. "Sorry," she says, lavishing the area with her warm tongue to sooth the pain.

"Don't. No apologies," Chloe tells her as she arches into her. "Not tonight."

Beca, happy to obey - happy to drown the voice in her head telling her _stop_ in whatever champagne was still making its way through her blood stream - continues on her journey, slipping beneath the blanket to Chloe's breasts. She works her mouth against pert nipples, drawing them into her mouth and sucking gently, dragging her teeth lightly over them and reveling in the way Chloe's hips press into her own when she does.

Beca's left hand drifts down Chloe's side, over each rib and across taut abs, and hovers just above her hips. "You want this, right?" Beca asks, the slightest bit of hesitation in her words as her fingers dance over Chloe's skin, eager to touch.

"Just don't leave," is Chloe's response, and the pleading in her words - easily reflected in her wide, expressive eyes - tugs at Beca's heartstrings, stilling her movements. "I want this, but I just want you here more. Please don't leave again. I'll..."

Beca cuts Chloe's words off with her own mouth. She slips a finger through Chloe's folds as they kiss, whimpering at the wetness she finds. "I promise," Beca whispers into Chloe's mouth. "I'll be here in the morning."


	12. 19: Part 11

The first thing Beca registers when she wakes is _cold_. Not quite ready to wake up, she fumbles for the blanket, which she had apparently kicked to the ground sometime during the night. As soon as she pulls the blanket up to her chin, her eyes snap open, remembering that she had fallen asleep wrapped around Chloe the night before. Her chest instantly tightens when she realizes Chloe is no longer there and she briefly wonders if the sharp pain is anything like Chloe felt months before.

However, the panic quickly dissipates when her brain registers the scent of something delicious and she smiles, sinking back into the couch. Her eyes drift to the kitchen to find Chloe cooking, wearing nothing but an oversized white button down. She swallows hard, following lean, tanned legs up to the hem of the shirt, and finds herself cursing the fact that it's not an inch or two shorter.

"Hey you!" Chloe exclaims when she notices Beca staring at her. "You're not supposed to be awake yet!"

Beca blinks. "I'm not supposed to be awake yet?" she asks, confused.

Chloe laughs and turns down the stove, moving from the kitchen to the couch. She takes a seat next to Beca and leans down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I was gonna make you breakfast in bed. Or in... couch? Either way I was making you breakfast."

"You can still make it; I'll pretend to be asleep, if you want," Beca tells her, letting her fingers dance over the smooth skin of Chloe's bare thighs.

"Well of course I'm still going to make it. I just wanted it to be a surprise when you first woke up."

"I'm plenty surprised," Beca tells her with a smile, sitting up slightly. "How much longer? And what exactly smells so good?"

"That would be the Chloe Beale breakfast special. I can at least keep that a surprise. It'll be about 5 more minutes, unless I burn it 'cause I'm sitting here talking to you." Chloe leans in and kisses Beca softly before she stands up, heading back into the kitchen.

Beca, for her part, just smiles and sinks back against the couch, waiting to try the "Chloe Beale breakfast special." If it tasted half as good as it smelled, Beca was certain she'd never want to leave Chloe's again.

**-xxx-**

Other than venturing out for food, the last five days of Beca's visit are spent locked up inside Chloe's apartment. They write music together, watch movies (Beca discovers that watching movies with Chloe isn't that bad because it really just means making out on the couch for a few hours), and make good use of Chloe's bed.

On Beca's last night, they lie in bed, snuggled together under a soft sheet with only their body heat to keep them warm.

"I don't want you to go," Chloe mumbles, her face buried in Beca's neck with soft, delicate tendrils tickling her nose.

"I don't want to go either," Beca tells her honestly. She's gotten used to Chloe's company quickly, a zone of comfort she still hasn't slipped into with Jesse despite his constant presence in their apartment, and she's not looking forward to its absence. Her plane doesn't leave until the next night, so they have a little over twenty-four hours together and Beca won't exactly mind if they don't move from this spot the entire time. Well, food and bathroom breaks excluded.

"So don't," Chloe says. "_I'm_ not in school."

"And look how you turned out," Beca teases.

"Hey now!" Chloe complains, biting at Beca's collarbone in playful reprimand.

"Mmmm," Beca moans softly, loving the sensations Chloe manages to draw out of her. "Keep it up and I'm not gonna let you leave this bed."

Chloe props herself up on her elbow, looking down at Beca and raising her eyebrow in question. "Who said that wasn't the plan?"

Beca smirks and pulls Chloe on top of her. "You're going to be the death of me."

**-xxx-**

The morning of Beca's flight back to Georgia, she wakes up before Chloe. She thinks about getting up, about making breakfast or coffee (or maybe buying it, because cooking just seems like _way_ too much effort on her last day there), but Chloe's cuddled up against her back, left arm thrown haphazardly over her waist. She contemplates what it would take to move without waking Chloe, but then the other girl mumbles under her breath and nuzzles further against Beca's back, and suddenly Beca doesn't mind being trapped without food or caffeine.

**-xxx-**

"Your birthday's coming soon, yeah?" Chloe asks, stabbing at her salad lazily but not really eating.

"Yeah," Beca says with a nod. "26th of February."

"Hmm..." Chloe mutters, poking around at her salad some more before finally dropping the fork.

Beca slides her hand under the table and squeezes gently. "Eat," she urges, hating to see Chloe in such a melancholy mood. "Why'd you want to know?"

"Figuring out when I'll see you again."

"Aren't you guys recording the new album in February?"

"Yeah, but it's your birthday. I can take a few days off. It's not like my gi... greatest girl in the world turns 20 every day."

Beca laughs, but it comes out sort of strangled with the way it sticks in her throat. She wills her mind to ignore Chloe's almost slip-up, silently praying for the panic to settle down. They haven't really discussed what was going on between them, but Beca can't really blame Chloe for the use of the term girlfriend after the last week they've spent together. It's what most logical people would do. Beca, however, knows she can be more than a little illogical when it comes to matters of the heart, and she's not quite ready to process the full meaning of the word or the emotions that tag along with it. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, pushing it all to the back of her mind before looking back at Chloe and smiling.

"Yeah? You'd want to do that?"

"If it were up to me, I'd be seeing you before that."

Beca takes a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she thinks. "My schedule is obviously more rigid than yours, but I... wouldn't be opposed to seeing you before then."

"Really?" Chloe asks, looking up in surprise. "I thought maybe you'd want some space for awhile."

"I think the 800 or whatever miles is enough space, yeah?"

"I meant more like time and space," Chloe tells her, smacking Beca's knee playfully under the table.

"I know," Beca says, and in a sudden rush of confidence, she leans out of her seat and across the café table, pressing a quick kiss to Chloe's mouth.

Chloe's face is a mix of shock and happiness, and Beca just settles back into her chair and smiles.

**-xxx-**

After lunch at the café, they make their way back to Chloe's via a walk through Central Park, fingers linked together as Beca rambles about what's coming up in the next semester. Chloe is quiet - even quieter than she had been at lunch - and when Beca asks a question that goes unanswered, she stops walking and pulls Chloe to a stop as well.

"Hey," Beca says, cupping Chloe's cheek gently when she realizes the other girl is crying. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I..." Chloe shakes her head, ducking away from Beca's touch. "It's stupid."

"It's not. Talk to me," Beca urges, concerned about the dramatic difference in Chloe's mood in just minutes.

Chloe smiles through her tears, trying to put on a brave face. "It is, really. I'm just a crier. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Beca says, pulling her into a hug. Her hands glide over Chloe's back soothingly, her lips pressed against her neck. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"You're leaving," Chloe mumbles into Beca's hair and then laughs because it sounds so ridiculous. She pulls away and slips her hand back into Beca's to continue their walk. "I told you it was dumb."

"Okay, so maybe it's a little ridiculous," Beca says with a smile. "But it's definitely an ego boost."

Chloe elbows her in the ribs but laughs, even as she's sniffing back tears. "You're mean. Taking pleasure in my pain."

"I'm sorry," Beca says sincerely, even though she knows Chloe is only teasing. "Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"No more crying while I'm here."

"I don't know about that," Chloe laughs, tugging Beca closer to her. "But I'll try."

**-xxx-**

"You know you don't have to actually ride to the airport with me," Beca says as they step on to the elevator.

"I wish I could wait with you at the gate," Chloe says quietly.

"I know," Beca says with a gentle squeeze of Chloe's hand. She frowns when she looks over at the girl, noticing that she is on the verge of tears again. "Hey you. No crying; you promised."

"I know, I know," Chloe laughs half-heartedly. "I can't help it."

They make their way out to the waiting taxi and Beca hands her luggage off to the driver before opening the back door, holding it open for Chloe before sliding in as well.

"So chivalrous," Chloe comments, snuggling up to Beca's side.

Beca wraps her arms around Chloe, happy to just hold her as they ride to the airport in comfortable silence. The entire trip was a whirlwind of emotions, but they've been weighing on her mind even more since Chloe's near slip-up in the diner, and none have been as overwhelming as the emotions she is feeling in this moment, a mix of sadness and happiness, relief and dread, but most of all, contentment. She had never imagined feeling this way for anyone, let alone someone that, in reality, she'd only spent a few days with.

As they sit in traffic on the Queensboro Bridge, Chloe speaks, drawing Beca out of her own mind. "I feel like I'm being too clingy," Chloe whispers, but she doesn't bother to let go.

"You're not," Beca reassures her. Chloe's actions - the tears and the constant contact - would never be Beca's "thing," but she's not so emotionally stunted that she doesn't understand actually missing someone. After a long pause, she speaks again. "I'm gonna miss you, too, y'know."

"I know," Chloe sighs, shifting against Beca's side and watching the New York lights go by.

**-xxx-**

When they arrive at the airport, Chloe follows Beca out of the taxi, standing on the arrivals curb while the driver grabs Beca's bags.

"You'll call me when you get home?" Chloe asks, her face buried in Beca's neck as she hugs her tightly.

"Of course. You too, yeah?" Beca questions as well. She can feel Chloe's tears against her skin and holds her tighter.

"Yeah. And we'll Skype and text and all that fun stuff?"

"Yeah," Beca says, pulling away from the hug so she can hold Chloe's hands. "And you'll come visit soon. And maybe I'll come up for a weekend."

Chloe smiles and releases Beca's left hand to wipe away her tears. "Okay," she says, and then hesitantly adds, "Can I kiss you right now?"

In lieu of an answer, Beca simply leans in and presses her lips to Chloe's. It's tentative at first, but quickly escalates as Chloe's hands drift to her hips.

After a few moments, Beca pulls away, breathless. "Okay, if you keep that up I'm going to miss my flight," she teases.

"Who said that wasn't the plan?"

"You like that line, don't you?" Beca asks with a smirk.

"Only when it comes to you."

Beca laughs, rolling her eyes at Chloe. "Such a sweet talker."

"I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely," Beca says, and after one last hug, she turns to head into the airport, her heart heavy in her chest with their temporary goodbye. The logical part of her brain knows that they'll fall back into their same routine as before, but the more cynical part can't help but think it won't last - that out of sight means out of mind - and she feels the need to grasp on to something a little more solid. Something more than an unspoken understanding of what they are to each other.

She stops, turning to watch Chloe climb back in the cab, and then suddenly calls to her. "Chloe!"

Chloe turns, one foot already in the cab, and Beca rushes back over the best she can with all of her luggage.

"Yeah?" Chloe questions when Beca stops, taking her hand and gazing at her hopefully.

"I..." Beca hesitates as she stares into Chloe's bright blue eyes, seemingly brighter through all of her tears. Her thoughts swirl in her head; a jumbled mess she can't seem to make sense of. There are a million things she could say in this moment, but the one thing she knows will mean enough is the one that terrifies her the most.

"Thank you," is what she finally settles on, and Chloe looks at her confused. She shakes her head, knowing that _thank you_will do nothing for the unrelenting knot of worry in the pit of her stomach, but she still can't find the strength to say it.

"For what?"

"Just, thank you," Beca repeats, whispering it quietly as she looks at their joined hands. Her left thumb traces a small heart on Chloe's palm, and she knows it's the closest she will get to expressing the words she knows she is already feeling. She just hopes Chloe gets it.

"Beca, I..." Chloe starts, and Beca looks up to find the unshed tears that were glistening in her eyes now running down her cheeks. Chloe tries to continue but is cut off by Beca's lips against her own.

"Shhh," Beca says. "I just... wanted you to know."


End file.
